Commercial Apprentice Review

As an apprentice Commercial Manager I work as part of a commercial team on one of London's biggest construction projects. I have been thoroughly involved in the project since joining, being awarded my own packages to manage within the first few months, as well as having 1-on-1 time learning about what senior members of staff do day to day.

Loads. This being my first 'proper' job in the construction industry has meant almost everything I have been exposed to is new. All of my construction knowledge comes from either being on-site or university. As well as this more specific knowledge, the Mace apprenticeship programme does focus on soft skills that can be used in a variety of roles across industries through their training programme.

I think all jobs have good days and bad days, but in reality, the programme is exactly as I had hoped but I get even more involved in the day to day work. I didn't realise how much responsibility I would be given so quickly, but that arguably makes any work I do more rewarding.

The internal training aspect is very well organised and frequent with about half a day of sessions fortnightly. The external training provider (university) has definitely shown some teething issues, especially with the whole of my education thus far being online, but I hope these issues will be solved eventually. The portfolio part of the programme which helps in gaining RICS chartership (another internal initiative) is also extremely well structured.

As much as required. In all honesty I haven't had to request much help from the apprenticeship team since my site team are so supportive but whenever I contact anyone on the apprenticeship team they always pick up the phone and are there to help every step of the way.

Very minimal. As mentioned I am unsure whether this is due to the university being online at the moment and the obvious communication issues that come with that but the response to emails has been quite poor from most members of staff, have only had one review meeting which I didn't get much out of. It's a situation where I haven't required extensive assistance, but I don't believe I would have received it had I reached out, based on my peers' experiences.

At the moment, the benefit is relatively minimal. My day-to-day work is very much associated with Mechanical, Electrical, and Public health whereas my course is very construction focused, but my peers (the majority) who are pure construction say they have found it relatively helpful, so perhaps I am an anomaly.

There have been a number of (virtual) networking events set up, and I have been assured in non-Covid times there are a wide range of activities and events set up both through work and our external training provider. I have attended some of the virtual sessions and they have been enjoyable.

Yes

All the reasons mentioned above! They have wonderful support, you get to work on some of the most interesting projects in the country, based in a great location, the quality of the staff you get to work with and learn from is great. I have very little to compare it to, but it seems great!

Learn about the company, understand what kind of projects they undertake, what their values and origins are, and anything you can really. Also, learn as much about your role as possible before applying to it, there is a massive range of opportunities within Mace so you are spoiled for choice but make sure you pick the right one for you!