Following blogs from some of our other apprentices, Tom and David, we asked Trainee Engineer Jared to tell us a bit about himself and his role. Jared joined us in August 2018 and he is undertaking a three year course at Leicester College to complete NVQs levels 4 and 5 in Civil Engineering and the Built Environment. One of our project managers, Dave Roberts, is a friend of Jared’s family and he suggested the 19 year old consider a career in construction, starting with an apprenticeship with Winvic. Jared explains…
“Although I had an interest in engineering and my strongest A-level subject was maths, when I was coming towards the end of these studies I wasn’t really sure about going into the automotive engineering industry. I spoke to Dave who has worked at Winvic for 9 years and he explained how Winvic offered apprenticeships, and he told me about some of the projects he had worked on. I applied to a few different companies but I felt so at ease at my interview with Winvic, the choice was an easy one to make. Even when I started on site at Fairfax Street in Coventry the atmosphere was so welcoming and everyone – from the top management to all the subcontractors – was friendly and helpful.
“I spent the first two months shadowing various people at the site of Coventry’s new tallest building, and the first tower of student bedrooms was just about to be handed over when I started, with two more to be completed ready for the 2019 university year. It was obviously challenging to walk on to an established site with no construction knowledge, but it was also a great opportunity for me to learn about engineering practices on tall residential buildings, on compact city sites. In November I really got stuck in and I began working at Ansty Park, also in Coventry, where we are constructing and fitting out a £44 million, 367,000 sq ft specialist industrial facility. The steel erection programme finishes next week, even though it feels like we were just working on the foundations not long ago – projects progress so fast!
“What has been great about my apprenticeship is that I’ve been able to safely and efficiently implement what I’ve learned in the classroom myself, not just watch others. Before starting I didn’t think I’d be hands on so quickly, but Mark Siu – a senior engineer and my mentor – has given me the opportunity to carry out tasks on my own. For example, I’ve used GPS equipment to set out the foundations and kerbing, and I’ve calculated the correct amounts of cubed concrete needed for specific areas. Gabe Bannerman helps me better understand the engineering skills I need day to day and he has helped me in all areas, such as analysing drawings and manipulating CAD. Every day I am becoming more confident within my job and I’ve learned to find the correct balance between my college work and my site role.
“Overall I feel that my apprenticeship has been an enjoyable experience from day one. When there is time we have a laugh, everyone is more than happy to help each other out and I love interacting with a variety of people day to day. The company is very supportive too and speaking to people at all levels it is clear that Winvic rewards those who work hard and show promise. I look forward to my future with Winvic – continually learning The Winvic Way – where I hope I will be given the opportunity to take on more responsibility, excel and climb the ladder.”
Read what some of our other apprentices – David Buckley and Tom Parr – have said, and learn more about our apprenticeship opportunities by download our Joining The Winvic Team brochure. To take the first step towards your new career with Winvic get in touch with Rebecca Schwarz in our HR department on rebeccaschwarz@winvic.co.uk or 01604 678 960.
Share
Repost
LinkedIn
Email
