JN Bentley Case Study - Jake Wileman
Jake Wileman was one of our very first construction apprentices back in 2014! We caught up with him to speak about his apprenticeship journey and find out how he has progressed in his role throughout the years. Jake began his journey as an Apprentice Site Engineer and is now working as a qualified Quantity Surveyor with JN Bentley, soon to finish his 5 year part-time degree! Here’s what he has to say:
“My name is Jake Wileman, I am a Quantity Surveyor for JN Bentley in Leeds. I joined JN Bentley in 2018 and I’m currently on the Yorkshire Water framework as a tier 1 contractor. I predominantly work in the civils department mainly on reservoirs.”
Tell us about your current role. What is it that you do?
“Currently I am on a secondment with Yorkshire water since June. I have taken on the role as a Project Coordinator and Assistant Project Manager. I have been helping with completions and closing out schemes that the Project Managers do not have time to do. I’m due to finish that this month then go back to my role as a Quantity Surveyor - so with that it’s the day-to-day commercial aspect of running a scheme - looking after finances, cost reporting, adhering to contractors and sub-contractors, following contracts, procurements and day to day management and looking after the site.”
What attracted you to a career of this kind?
“I did get my A levels after school and I didn’t fancy going to University full time. I was unsure on which career path I wanted to go down. I had a few friends that had done similar apprenticeships like engineering and mechanical, this sparked my interest a little bit. I applied for the LSP advert and got this in the beginning of 2014. I started this to become a Site Engineer but after a year I had a nasty knee injury playing football that left me unable to work properly for 5-6 months until I had an operation. The course content meant we could change things up a little, we did a bit of Quantity Surveying and office management. I did Quantity Surveying and stuck with that from there.”
Explain the journey from starting your apprenticeship
“I started the apprenticeship in January 2014, I did just under a year as a Site Engineer and due to the injury, I moved into the QS department. I moved from a scheme in Doncaster over to Sheffield to carry on as a QS there – I did 3 years there and unfortunately Carillion went bust. I finished my apprenticeship but because I already had A levels, I had the option to either go to college to get my HNC/HND or start a degree from scratch which I took at Sheffield Hallam. I am actually on the final year of a 5-year part time degree now.”
What types of projects have you worked on?
“I worked on three projects with Carillion, the original was a highway scheme which was a link road off the M18 into Doncaster to Rossington. I moved then to Sheffield to work on a link road from Rotherham to Meadowhall and then onto a flood defence scheme in Sheffield. After moving to JN Bentley I have predominantly worked on reservoir schemes and big civil schemes.”
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
“There have been a few highlights – I got an accommodation for trainee of the year at CECA awards and another accommodation in Sheffield. I have been on a few award-winning schemes at Carillion and JN Bentley which was good. The overall work aspect has been good meeting new people and actually seeing things get built, it has been a big eye opener.”
What did you like about your apprenticeship with LSP?
“It was the on-the-job experience, by the time I started I was ready to start working and had enough of full time education. The opportunity to get on site and see things getting built and meet new people instead of sat in a classroom for 5 days a week was the best thing.”
How did LSP support you after your apprenticeship?
“I kept in contact with Simon and Dave for a little bit when Carillion went under and LSP forwarded my CV onto JN Bentley which helped me get the job I have now, which was a big help!”
Would you recommend apprenticeships to others?
“Definitely do it, it’s a good opportunity to get qualified and not be lumbered with University fees yourself.”
Why do you think employers should offer apprenticeship opportunities?
“I am actually doing a dissertation at the moment and doing it on apprenticeships and the skills shortages for white collar workers like myself in construction. There is just an abundance of skills shortages and I know that Covid is playing a part of the slowing down of work, but it is going to pick back up, construction has been plodding along its one of the industries that has not fully stopped. I think that people are required, from my experience and everyone I have talked to there is an obvious skills shortage and skills gap from the age of people that are trained, qualified and competent to what are coming through and I think it is a big worry for a lot of people in construction whether they will be able to get the staff that is needed. As well as that I think apprentices bring stuff to your team, there are a couple of QS apprentices that work at JN Bentley and they are really valued.”
What is the next step of your career journey?
“I am due to finish my degree in 2 months so once that’s done I am going to potentially look at getting chartered. I am probably going to have a year off education all together I think before I decide because it has been a long time since I have been studying. I think once I have got that it is just a case of working my way through the ranks, getting more experienced and see how far I can progress with JN Bentley.”