Apprentice environmental advisor Review

I work on a construction site, in welfare offices. This means that some days I am out on-site doing tasks such as surveys and reporting, whilst others I am in the office. This is mainly data handling through software such as Excel and Qflow. I am responsible for two different roles on our site which involve managing people.

I have developed a range of hard and soft skills throughout my time here. Soft skills: I am part of a small environment site team, medium sized area environment team and a large project wide environment team - so have done a lot of work on people skills which is complimented by working across disciplines on-site which has also improved my management and conflict resolution skills. Hard skills: skills on software such as Excel, data collection skills and data handling skills.

This programme has been difficult so far. I was overwhelmed when I first joined and do not feel that I was supported in understanding my role and responsibilities in the project or how a degree apprenticeship works. This is largely due to the organisation of the educational facility. Also when I joined this project, I changed manager 3 times within the first 3 months. I felt some managers are not aware of what a degree apprentice is and how much time it takes which can lead to getting overwhelmed with work. However now that time has passed and the degree apprentices have figured out the systems and I have an understanding / supportive manager I feel that the programme has settled into a nice rhythm - I understand the quantity and quality of the work I must do and how to do it.

The educational facility was not well organised at the beginning - the cohort of apprentices I am in were given conflicting advice from diffrent people (lecturers/managers/university personnel) which made it incredibly confusing. We were informed about the importance of managing systems such as Aptem correctly, but not taught it until 2 / 3 months in. With this said, I do feel the university now understands the system and when the new cohort of apprentices comes in, it will not be as confusing / stressful.

I feel that Skanska is an amazing and supportive workplace. However when I joined the university I did not feel that there was as much support for that factor of my working journey and the issues I was facing there. I quickly became overwhelmed in my job and workload so lost touch with the Skanska support facilities. However, Skanska does provide many support systems and facilities for those who want to access them - which creates a great and supportive workplace culture in the Skanska offices.

I feel Skanska has tried to be more supportive of my educational journey than my training provider has tried to. The impression that I have gotten from the university is that they are there to support the full-time students, whereas the degree apprentices are there to get their support from their companies.

I understand that the degree I am studying towards at the moment will be incredibly useful in my future development and career opportunities. I also value that I will be completing this degree with 5 years of industry experience, which is invaluable. I am interested in working abroad in the future, which I feel Skanska will help me with greatly.

Skanska is great at providing these opportunities and the project I am on have many activities that workers can join in on - so far I have joined a cancer research 10k run in February with co-workers, I am part of an inclusive workplace environment team and both Skanska and the project separately put on many professional conferences and networking events which are very enjoyable.

Yes

I feel the company promotes a forward thinking, inclusive and fun environment to work in that promotes learning and development not only in the pathway that I am on but in all disciplines. I feel that Skanska is a good option for those looking to reach a global working network and travel with their work.

As always, when looking for a job, you want to make sure that you are suited to the role you are applying for: Do you have the skills the job will need / are you looking to develop them? Do you genuinely enjoy using those skills / doing the activities outlined in the job description? Can you see yourself working in this sector? If you do not think this applies to you, then you are not likely to enjoy the job / role and so will not feel linked to the company / project you are working on. .