Fred

Why did you come to UTCN?

Being surrounded with likeminded people was important to me. I feel like, by going to a STEM 6th Form, I was surrounded with people with similar interests and aspirations. The 6th Form also felt really welcoming on the open day. I wanted to go to a 6th Form that specialised in the subjects I was interested in rather than going to a college that was very general and probably only had one or two dingy engineering classrooms.

What did you like about UTCN?

A good majority of the teachers are from a STEM background which allows them to speak from experience when teaching. This made learning feel really worthwhile rather than just memorising a textbook.

Why did you apply for to be a Civil Engineering Site Manager Degree Level Apprentice at Farrans Construction?

Site engineering would have allowed me to gain roughly a 50 50 split between office and site which was a attractive point for me.

What do you do in your apprenticeship? What do you like about it?

I am a site engineer which allows me to get involved with all the different aspects of a job: surveying, safety, environmental, management, logistics, line and level. I have been at Farrans for about 1.5 years, and I am now in charge of packages of work which are solely mine to manage. Seeing something that you have managed from start to finish being completed is really satisfying and is the best part of my job.

What advice would you give current UTCN students?

I was so nervous about everything and its okay to be. Introducing yourself to employers, giving presentations or doing interviews is scary. The only way you can get better at it is doing it over and over so just get it done. No risk, no reward.