As the industry celebrates National Apprenticeship Week, Jamie Lord’s recent promotion and significant pay rise is a great example of how an apprenticeship can lead to considerable construction career success.
The 21-year-old started on a construction management apprenticeship a couple of years ago and has just been promoted to the role of trainee project manager, which has led to a £6,000 salary increase.
When he was at school, he originally planned to head to university after his A levels, as many of his friends did, but halfway through them he was struggling and realised that it wasn’t his best option. for him. Instead, he enrolled on a full-time construction management course at Barking & Dagenham College. At 19, he decided to look for an apprenticeship in construction management and was offered one by construction industry project management company Artelia.
He studied one day a week at college and four days a week learning ‘on the job’. 18 months later, he’s just finished his Higher Apprenticeship (the equivalent to the first year of a degree), and as a result, was given his promotion and pay rise.
He was also told recently that the company is going to fund him to do a construction management degree, where he will attend university part-time on a Construction Management degree and work towards achieving Chartered Project Professional status with the support of Artelia and the Association for Project Management.
His success has underlined his belief that taking an apprenticeship was the right career route for him. He says: “When I was 16 I chose to pursue the university route; most of my social orbit went to university and it looked interesting to me. I also felt that I needed a degree for my career progression.
“However, in the position I find myself in now, I think I’ve definitely made the right choice. I’ve got 18 months’ work experience; I have a well sought-after higher qualification in project management and I am absolutely over the moon that my company is going to fund me to do a construction management degree.
“Many of my friends will be finishing their degrees this year with almost £30,000 worth of debt, whereas I have zero debt and I’m now on a good salary in a trainee project management position which is similar to what any new graduate could wish to get.”
Artelia managing director Mark Day says: “We are in an industry that is traditionally hard to recruit into; so a couple of years ago we decided that we needed to take a fresh look at apprenticeships, as well as recruiting through our graduate programme.
“We started our inaugural Apprenticeship Programme in 2018 and Jamie is the first person to complete it. We are delighted at how the programme has equipped Jamie with the technical knowledge and practical competence required for a career in project management.
“We are passionate about developing talent for Artelia and Jamie too, Apprenticeships are a great way forward. I would wholeheartedly encourage other businesses and young people to ‘look beyond’ A-levels and university degrees and explore the value that Apprenticeships can bring to business and individuals alike.”
