Cost Consultancy Apprentice Review

As a Cost Consultancy Apprentice, I support the Mace Cost Consultancy team on various projects. Every day brings something new to help my development and learning as an apprentice; I support on various different tasks that are required for projects such as measurement/take offs, cost plans, interim valuations, contracts, various trackers, obtaining rates from the market and general communication with clients and design teams.

Since joining Mace, I have developed various different skills, such as: - Undertaking measurements using BIMMeasure - Populating spreadsheets on Excel - Using the CATO software for cost planning/reports etc - Populating project feedback forms - Populating Valuation certificates - Having regular communication with project teams/client (communication) - Obtaining information from various resources such as NBS/NRM etc - Populating preliminary documents using NBS Building and NBS Chorus

I really enjoy the apprenticeship programme and am very fortunate and grateful for the support I have from a combination of professionals in my team. Despite the pandemic having an impact on my learning and not being in an office environment surrounded my colleagues every day, overall.. I am still feeling very supported and developing my learning from home. I look forward to being back in the office with my team and having more exposure to my projects on site in upcoming months.

As one of four apprentices in Birmingham, sometimes, organisation from the wider business (all accidental) have not benefitted myself and development. These include: training days clashing with university, not having the correct portfolio template etc., However, overall, the organisation and structure of the programme is good and the training organised by the Apprentice team in London is very good and useful to my learning. The structure and organisation of the programme helps me understand my position, what I am working towards and the level I am expected to be performing at to name a few.

Overall, the support from my employer is very positive. The Birmingham (Central region) team are extremely supportive and there is always someone there who is willing to assist/support me as I develop my knowledge and skills in the role and industry. During the pandemic, there have been occasions where I have felt that not only I, but other apprentices could of been provided with more support than what was received. Despite of this, it hasnt had a negative impact on my learning.

My experience with my training provider (The University of Wolverhampton) is overall positive. The pandemic has of course impacted my learning by not being in a classroom environment and sometimes I have felt quite pressured to meet deadlines due to increase in workload by working from home. The training provider provides consistent and detailed lectures to help my learning.

By attending university to achieve my degree, the lectures consist of various modules and topics to help benefit my learning and knowledge. By having this, it keeps me motivated as I continue the apprenticeship programme with the hope of achieving high grades and graduating in 2025. The information learnt in lectures also applies to my every day tasks with Mace. For example, by learning about construction technology, it helps me identify things on site and understand what they are and why they are used.

There are various activities for me to be involved with at Mace. As a health and wellbeing ambassador for the central region, I have organised and participated in many socials and extra-curricular activities. The relationship of the team in Birmingham is strong and we take part in various events throughout the year. There are also many different networks I am part of through Mace and through Mace and my training provider, I also get to attend various CPD events to help my networking.

Yes

Mace offers an overall fantastic apprenticeship programme to people who wish to become a professional in the industry. The programme offers various opportunities for apprentices to excel and develop their knowledge, learning and experience by being a part of milestone projects and working in an environment of professionals who are there to support and want to help you excel. To add to that, the salary for apprentices is extremely healthy.

- Be yourself - Make sure the role is suited for you and it's something you are passionate about - Take your time and carefully consider everything you include in your application process - Don't be scared to ask questions - Prepare for your interview, show that you have taken the time to research and understand the role you're applying for and what business you are wishing to join - Go for it! You won't regret it.