In this blog post, second-year Apprentice Quantity Surveyor, Christian Blanchette, shares his how his apprenticeship is progressing with Bachy Soletanche, what he loves most about it and his most valuable skill gained from the experience so far.
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I’m in my second year of a five-year quantity surveying apprenticeship, which I’m completing whilst also studying at university. I’m currently part of the SB3 team (a joint venture between Bachy Soletanche and Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering) delivering HS2 in Birmingham and Coventry. To date, I’ve worked on eight different assets within HS2 so there’s been lots of variation.
As an apprentice quantity surveyor, I am in charge of overseeing the cost of a project, which includes staff, labour, materials, plant and subcontractors. I have to ensure that our financial position is accurately reported and I also help manage the associated costs of any compensation events or early warnings (unexpected events that may affect the project’s costs). My role varies a lot throughout the week and I am usually working on multiple assets at the same time.
What I love most about working here is how diverse our team is. My current team is made up of 41 different nationalities, which is fantastic as you get to know different cultures and learn how to communicate with different people.
Although I mostly work in the office, I periodically visit our construction sites to check that everything is going to plan and all of the necessary documents are completed to ensure our costs are accurate.
Before starting my apprenticeship, I had no experience of quantity surveying at all; however, there are so many people to support you and as long as you have the right attitude, you will learn and progress quickly.
I liked Bachy Soletanche’s recruitment process as it was really straightforward; I just emailed them my CV with a brief cover letter and I was invited to an interview shortly after. This was quite refreshing as I’d submitted several applications to other companies that were very convoluted – some had five or more different stages you had to go through just to get an interview.
What I love most about working here is how diverse our team is. My current team is made up of 41 different nationalities, which is fantastic as you get to know different cultures and learn how to communicate with different people. I think this will really benefit me if I progress to a management role in the future.
A key benefit of choosing an apprenticeship with Bachy Soletanche is that you not only get a well-paid job, but you also get your university or college fees paid for. The other main advantage of an apprenticeship is that you get so much hands-on experience of the workplace, which sets you up well for the future.
One of the most valuable skills I’ve gained so far from my apprenticeship is learning how to act professionally and communicate with others in an effective way. I’ve also learnt how to manage multiple workloads; this is sometimes difficult to do as an apprentice as you have to balance studying and working, but it’s a really important life skill. Additionally, Bachy Soletanche have been very accommodating by giving me enough time to focus on my university commitments and allowing me to adopt a hybrid working schedule.
