Civil Engineering Degree Apprentice Review

My role daily can vary depending on what project I am working on, it can range from checking models that are about to be submitted, completing drawings for proposed routes or discussing progress with clients. I have responsibilities over certain parts of a project and have to ensure I complete my section of the drawings or model in time for the client review. Daily I will be interacting with all the project manager for project and my line manager.

I have really developed my confidence talking to new people, I am able to communicate clearly with both people from my company and clients. My technical skills on software's such as Civil 3D and Moata Geospacial have improved massively from when I started with no experience with these. My

I enjoy it quite a lot, it's definitely not easy to juggle University and working a 9-5 daily but once you get into the routine of it, its enjoyable. It is a hard adjustment to being surrounded by people your age and ability all day at 6th form, to being in an environment where everyone is older than you and way more experienced, especially when you are in a team where there are little to no apprentices, it can be hard to get to know people and make friends.

I really like how it is a day release for University, rather than a week block release per month, it gives you a nice break from the daily project work, however because it is a weekly thing, it can be quite hard to make time to get your coursework done and other university tasks as you do only have that one day free. One really good think about Motts is the flexible working, it gives you the flexibility to work from home and in the office to whatever suits you, and also to work flexible hours, meaning you could start work at 7am and finish at 3pm, which works really well if you have commitments or appointments.

From my line manager I get a lot of support, whatever I need I know I can talk to him about it and he will do what he can. However, in terms of from Motts, more support is needed in terms of the transition from school to work, it would be great to have more opportunity to meet other apprentices in your office, and have more support from people who have been down the same path.

My University in specific is great at posting all the resources online incase you cannot attend in person, however they are not so great at responding to emails and actually helping with specific issues. It can be hard to get contact with module leaders sometimes, and with some modules the lecture is delivered, but no additional workshops or seminars to actually use these concepts in questions or to ask for help

I can already see how the technical knowledge I will gain in specific modules such as the materials module we are studying currently, will be applied when I am doing pavement cross sections for project work, it has given me a clear understanding of what goes where and exactly how each section can be designed in relation to the properties of the material. Some modules do not relate directly but the broad knowlage of anything will be useful at some point in my career

In the Leeds office there are a few socials that are regular such as a crafts club and the monthly pay day drinks, however for me, as a Muslim I do not drink and wouldn't want to be in an environment where the main focus is drinking in a bar, so activity wise there is not many to get involved in, and the ones there are are not very inclusive to all. I haven't personally seen any other opportunities for professional networking or meeting others in the office.

Yes

An apprenticeship as a whole is probably the best route you could take if you know what it is you want to do, it is way more hands on and you have the ability to get experience in a range of projects. I would recommend Motts too, as it is a great company to work for and you will get a lot of opportunities to develop your knowledge and become great at what you do

Be very genuine in your interview, don't give the basic interview answers that everyone gives. Sell your self and show that you are worth the investment and how valuable you are in the team, showing you're a team player is also super important. Do some background research into Motts, their projects and what sort of thing your role entails as you could be asked this