Sweco Apprenticeships in one word? Rewarding!
Jacob Beard shares his Early Careers experience so far
To highlight our difference-making apprentices – and celebrate our recent coming together with Ball & Berry – we’re taking the opportunity to shine a light on some of our Early Careers colleagues in Building Standards. For this blog, we sat down with Jacob Beard for a quick five-minute chat about how he became an Apprentice Building Control Surveyor.
Tell us a bit about your background, Jacob?
“I currently live near Wickham in Portsmouth, and I am 19 years old. I went to 6th form college at Barton Peveril and passed all my A levels. I left with B’s in Law and Criminology, and a C in Business. Before I came to Sweco, I was a team member at KFC where I would either be making the food or handing it out. That helped me understand the importance of customer service.”
What motivated you to pursue a career in building control?
“I was always surrounded by construction when growing up as my grandad was a ground worker. Ever since a young age I was shown all the different sites he had worked on. Growing up with this throughout my childhood, I knew I would end up in the construction industry. I always had an interest in architecture, and I enjoy looking at the way buildings are built and especially how the built environment looks abroad. Being in Building Control allows me to apply this interest, although I think my family are fed up with me telling them about Building Regulations when we go anywhere!”
My Sweco apprenticeship has allowed me to have the opportunity to apply my learning to the work I do. It has shown me the importance of good office relations and has provided the best people to work alongside.
Jacob Beard Apprentice Building Control Surveyor
What do you hope to achieve during your apprenticeship?
“I wish to use this apprenticeship as a firm foundation in my career in this industry. I hope to pick up relevant skills to help me progress both in my academics and in my career. I expect to face many challenges along the way including studying at university and meeting the demands of my role, however, I believe I’ll be able to tackle these with help from the team around me.”
What do you hope to achieve in your career as a Building Control apprentice?
“Starting as an apprentice allows me to get fully qualified whilst gaining 4 years’ experience. I wish to take on more challenging roles and also enhance my education. I hope to gain valuable experience and knowledge within this sector and for people to be able to rely upon me.”
So far, what have you found most interesting in your role?
“So far, I have been involved in many tasks all of which differ from the others. However, I mostly enjoy being able to go on site and then help write the report up after as I feel like I am making a real difference in the project. I also enjoy learning about the admin side as I have been able to build a deep understanding of the ‘backbone’ of how tasks are carried out and shows me how to complete a task properly.”
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
“Outside work, I enjoy going to gym in the evenings and on the weekends me and my dad go play a round of golf however I am not any good at it. Family is very important to me, so I always try to spend time with them when it is possible.”