Apprentice Surveyor Review

My role consists of working 4 days a week and attending university for the 5th day. I tend to support the team in day to day tasks in relation to the overall aim of the department which is to buy and sell assets across EMEA. Jobs that I do can consist of creating spreadsheets with data used to compare assets including their prices, etc, create marketing brochures for the assets and contribute to creating Investment Memorandums for the assets and pitch documents.

Yes, I have developed my personable skills and ability to network having to interact with lots of new people frequently day to day and through events attended, offered as part of the wider industry, for example Creation events. I have improved on my presentation skills and business understanding. Skills I have developed include being able to value buildings using the methods I have learnt. I have been put on specialised Excel courses to develop my skills which then in-turn help me in my day to day work and in university.

My team are very friendly and supportive of myself and my work, offering me help when I ask. My manager in particular is very supportive and constantly emphasizes the importance of me learning as much as I can in everything I do, not just for the job but for my life in general and my future career. The work I do can be similar and lack variation at times, focusing mainly on marketing materials for the sale of assets, however as time has gone on I have been given more challenging and thus interesting work and am now being seconded into a new team for the summer to get me out and about viewing logistic assets across London. The company culture and my department in particular is quite relaxed, social and friendly with people constantly talking and socialising in communal break out areas within the office and going out for social lunches, etc. I do enjoy the programme.

I feel fairly valued at C&W. My manager tends to make a conscious effort to say well done for any work that I've done that has been good or where I have improved in any areas of work or knowledge. As time has progressed over the course of the past 8 months I have been given more involvement in tasks where I am more easily able to understand the reasoning behind them and how they relate to the teams overall objectives. This has come through understanding

I'd say my programme is fairly well structured in that respect with work 4 days a week and uni for the 5th. At the beginning, I would say I wasn't receiving work that was very challenging or enough work, however after asking for more work and showing my ability in the work I did do, I soon started to receive a lot more. Most of my work is now delegated to me through my direct manager and a couple of other managers within my team and they are always helpful when I have questions in regards to it.

The university we attend currently is University of Westminster. We have a personal tutor that works closely with Westminster and the company to make sure we're doing well. Most lecturers are fairly helpful and happy to help if you have a problem with a certain module.

I receive a fair amount of support from my employer, especially through the HR Early Careers team who are very helpful, friendly and on hand to help with any issues you may have. They work closely with the university to resolve issues that we may be experiencing there to ensure the whole rounded apprenticeship is as good as possible. My manager is very supportive of my learning and of me doing well in university and my career as a whole. He provides me with guidance with any issues I may have in my career so far or job and I would say he puts my best interests first in that respect and so his general attitude towards supporting me is only positive.

Reasonable- my train to travel into London is fairly expensive and so when this is taken away from my salary, plus a small pension contribution per month, I am not left with an awful lot. On the other side, any expenses as a result of work are always paid for or paid back to me by the company and our university trip to Belgium was paid for by the company, including a complimentary overnight stay.

Yes- lots of sports teams, sporting events to attend and lots of in team social events.

Yes

Big global company with lots of support for apprentices and scope for career progression with many departments to move throughout so can always find something of interest.

At the interviews and during the assessment day, show that you are not just interested in the apprenticeship for the salary or other perks and that you actually have a genuine interest in the industry and have an ambition to progress and make a difference within the industry and the company. You can do this through the way you answer questions and of course the answers you give. When at the open days and assessment days, you are constantly being tested so make sure you're always focused and friendly.