National Apprenticeship Week – Hear from our Apprentices

Peadar McGuckian is an Apprentice Quantity Surveyor currently working on the CDS works contract within the Uisce Eireann framework as he completes the third year of his course. Here he talks about why he selected this pathway.

If you could sum up your apprenticeship experience at Farrans in three words, what would they be?

Enjoyable, Rewarding, Supported!

What inspired you to choose an apprenticeship route rather than a traditional university pathway?

The opportunity to gain the valuable experience of working alongside experienced personnel within the industry while also earning a salary as well as having no university debt is what inspired me to go down the apprenticeship route. Although I missed out on having the full student life experience, I feel in the long term I’ll be a lot better off when graduating compared to a full-time student as I’ll already have five years of working experience under my belt.

Why did you choose Farrans for your apprenticeship?

I had completed a week’s work experience on the Belfast Grand Central Station and everyone there was very welcoming, friendly and answered any questions I had, which showed me what type of company it was and initiated my interest of choosing Farrans for my apprenticeship. The opportunity to also work within a well-known company within the construction industry was also intriguing.

Can you briefly describe your role and what a typical day looks like?

A typical day in my role as an apprentice quantity surveyor would involve dealing with subcontractor’s payments, submitting track sheets for payment to the client and communicating with engineers about track sheets and works subcontractors have completed.

What qualification are you working towards?

My quantity surveying apprenticeship entails working 4 days a week and attending university 1 day a week. When university is off at Christmas and over summer, I then work 5 days a week. It’s a level 6 apprenticeship where I am working towards achieving my bachelor’s degree in quantity surveying and commercial management. Alongside my degree, I’m also working toward obtaining my chartership with the RICS as part of my apprenticeship.

How do Farrans support you in balancing work, study and personal life?

Farrans has been very accommodating and supportive in helping me balance work, study and personal life. For any university exams or coursework assignments I’d be given study leave if I requested it. My coworkers are also happy to help me by answering any questions about the modules I’m studying and help out with any queries I have about coursework assignments. They also check in with me making sure I’m happy with my workload and don’t have too much work on top of my studies.

What skills have you developed most since starting your apprenticeship?

I’d say my communication/presentation skills have greatly improved from communicating with many different people from multiple different departments within the company and having to do a few PowerPoint presentations as part of Farrans Foundation has definitely helped me become a lot more confident while doing presentations. My problem-solving skills have developed a lot since I’ve started my apprenticeship as in this role you encounter problems all the time.

What has been the most challenging part of your apprenticeship so far?

Getting the balance right when there’s a lot happening at the one time. The periods where I could have a university assignment due on top of getting work done and keeping on top of RICS can be a lot at the one-time which make it difficult to get the work, study and personal life balance right but as I have progressed, I’ve learned how to manage it and know what works best for me.

Can you tell us about a project you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of?

I’d say one I’m proud of is the Uisce Eireann Framework I’m currently working on. It’s been a good and valuable experience so far learning how to use a new system and all the different process. It’s also performing well which I feel proud of contributing and playing a part in the frameworks success.

How has working on live construction projects helped your learning?

At the start of my apprenticeship, it helped my learning a lot as being able to see how the different types of works are completed and asking subcontractors and engineers questions about what was being done helped me gain a better understanding of the works involved in a utilities project.

What advice would you give to someone considering a higher-level apprenticeship in construction?

I would say it’s 100% the best way to obtain your degree as the knowledge and experience you gain from the experienced staff and completing the different task with your role is very beneficial and valuable to have. I would also say to not be afraid to ask a lot of questions.

What does National Apprenticeship Week mean to you personally?

I think it’s great to highlight that apprenticeships are a beneficial route to take to obtain a degree at university, I feel they’re not recognised enough compared to full time degrees. National Apprenticeship Week is a good way to raise awareness and help apprenticeships become a more popular route. Apprenticeships are important to the construction industry as it’s a cost-effective path for companies to develop talent and helps bring more youth into the industry. It helps address the skill shortages in construction as it gives employers the opportunity to train and develop personnel with the required skills while they’re obtaining their degree then possibly retaining them long term.

 What are some of your long-term career aspirations.  

In the long term I aspire to obtain my RICS chartership to become a Chartered Quantity Surveyor after I finish my apprenticeship and to have a successful career in the industry by continuing to grow and progress my career with Farrans.