Reshaping Careers: From communications to building surveyor
Read how recent apprentice graduate, William Hewitt, changed career direction from a Level 4 Communications apprenticeship, to a Level 6 Building Surveyor apprenticeship in the midst of the pandemic.
Communications to Level 6 Buildings Surveyor
During this time he found himself working alongside his father, who is an electrician. Will said: “I went on site to help out, and discovered I was really interested in understanding how buildings are constructed”. Following some consideration, Will decided to change his course, and started a Level 6 Buildings Surveyor degree apprenticeship with the University of Brighton, through employer Green Surveying.
Degree apprenticeship leads to promotion
After completing his first year of the apprenticeship, Will was given a formal promotion, and is now contracted out to Impact Formwork and Civils as a Quantity Surveyor. This isn’t uncommon – a 2023 survey of apprentice alumni from The Apprentice Academy shows 81% of respondents had received a salary increase and 65% of respondents had received a job promotion after graduating. It also shows how 52% of respondents had started to manage staff or increased the number of people reporting to them, with 90% saying their apprenticeship had contributed to their career success.
Real world impact of apprenticeships
Will said the best part of the apprenticeship so far, was when he was part of a team of apprentices designing a social housing scheme, which was to be built in Brighton: “I realised that all of a sudden, I was doing something very real, interesting and useful”. Our level 6 Building Surveyor Degree Apprenticeship provided Will with the training, skills and on-the-job learning for him to be able to make a difference in his community by helping tackle the housing crisis.
Elry Hunt-Green • 06/12/2023