Assistant Quantity Surveyor Review

My role involves responsibility of procuring a selected number of packages on the project, monitoring their costs throughout the construction phase and their monthly valuations. It also involves assisting the senior Commercial Managers with monitoring the cashflow of the project and pricing various client variations

I have developed a wide variety of skills since being on the programme. I am working towards my quantity surveying degree at London south bank which is teaching me the theory behind the activities involved in being a quantity surveyor. My people skills have developed since being in the office environment and interfacing with a number of different individuals from a wide range of backgrounds - communication / presentation skills. My knowledge and use of digital systems and software has significantly improved over the course, such as use of Excel, Oracle and many other systems.

The programme has met my expectations to an extent. I enjoy having a large number of peers on the programme which provides a good support network. However I do feel that there needs to be more interaction with our apprenticeship programme organizers to check up on progress and assist us with any concerns. There is good company culture in recognizing the achievements of the apprentices and regularly including them in any marketing videos to promote apprentices in the industry. We also get an abundance of opportunities to meet and interact with our business leaders which helps us to feel noticed and not absorbed by working for a big company.

The programme is well organised with structured scheduled training over each year on the programme, with increasing complexity as you progress through the programme to adapt to your level of development. However I feel that the training modules could be more focused on our specific job roles and more interactive. I feel that they should also be updated in line with the digitalizing of the construction industry, with more training for the various new software being introduce into our ways of working.

We receive a satisfactory level of support from the Emerging Talent team at Mace. The support is available when we need it however sometimes there isn't always the desired outcome from reaching out for support. In terms of mentoring and line managers etc, Mace is very good at ensuring everyone is allocated a mentor to help you through the programme and a line manger to oversee your time on the programme and provide you the opportunities to further your development. I do think there is more to be done regarding supporting with issues raised in relation to our university course.

We don't get much support from emerging talent in relation to working towards our external qualifications. The external university element of the programme is the part which I enjoy least, as we have to deal with a fairly unorganized university which hinders our performance. The only interface we have is to submit our grades at the end of the year for the modules, and no additional support is given if performance starts to decline at uni.

It helps to an extent as it gives you the foundation / theory behind a lot of the activities I carry out in my role. however working within an M&E role, it doesn't give me much technical knowledge for the systems that I deal with as it is mainly building structure focused. However I feel that I have learnt more about my role by carrying out the tasks in practice rather than learning about them at university.

There are a huge range of additional activities put on for us to get involved with at work. The Mace foundation puts on volunteering events all year round to sign onto. We have quarterly business unit communication sessions which often have a networking event after which gives you an opportunity to mix with other colleagues in your department.

Yes

I would strongly recommend Mace to a friend as they are a great company to work for in terms of the support provided at the start and the number of possible doors and career paths that open up once you begin with the company. Working for Mace allows you to get the opportunity to work on some of the UK's and the rest of the worlds leading projects.

I would demonstrate that you are interested in working for Mace specifically, rather than just the construction industry. i.e. say what draws you to Mace in particular such as specific projects, the emerging talent programme experience etc. I would try and get some amount of work experience in the construction industry prior to applying as this will help you stand out as someone who has a desire to work in the industry.