Harry Cropper - Buckingham Group

Tell us about your current role

I am an Apprentice Civil Engineer at Buckingham Group. My general day to day activities are completing surveys, setting out on-going works, completing as-builts and quality check sheet documents.

What attracted you to a career of this kind?

I was attracted to this position as I wanted to get into a career within the Construction industry that didn’t just mean that I would be working on-site, I wanted to complete works that gave me an insight of both site and office, seeing every part of the works from the design stage all the way down to the final built product.

What journey have you been on throughout your Apprenticeship?

Two of the biggest journeys I have had while on my apprenticeship was the change from my previous career which was a mechanical engineer, after three years or work and training I realised it wasn’t the career for me. I then found myself lucky to land with Buckingham Group as a Civil Engineer Apprentice originally starting on the Anfield Road Extension project, then after a few months being offered a move to the Rail industry which I jumped at as the Rail Industry is something I wanted to change to.

What you do like about your Apprenticeship?

The thing I like most about my apprenticeship is the opportunity to train four days a week being based on the project and also having one day a week for college. It gives me a wide knowledge of all the works that are happening and a better understanding of the theory and the real life side of the works.

How has your Apprenticeship training impacted your career?

The training I have received has greatly improved my knowledge and understanding of the working world, it makes day to day works easier and more understandable from the knowledge I am getting from my training.

If you were speaking to someone thinking of doing an Apprenticeship, what advice would you give them?

The advice I would give to anyone who is looking on becoming an apprentice is to make sure that you are choosing the right career, research all the positions, companies and the training providers you will be working with and make sure you are using the right information to ensure that the position you go into will be the right one for you.

Why do you think employers should offer Apprenticeship opportunities?

I believe that employers should offer apprenticeships for the main reason of bringing in, training and developing the future of their industry. In my case Buckingham Group have Apprentice Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Project Managers and Construction Managers they are developing and shaping the future of the company, making the future of the company more secured with a strong workforce.

How has your Apprenticeship helped you achieve your career goals?

My apprenticeship has helped me start to achieve my goals by just getting me on the ladder within the company, it has gotten me into the position I want to be in and has got me into the rail industry helping me to achieve qualifications such as PTS, DCCR, Temporary Work Supervisor, Buried Services Supervisor and many other qualifications that are pushing me in the right direction to achieving all my career goals.