Expanding the range of apprenticeship opportunities is a priority throughout our business, in line with our Learn, Grow & Thrive key pillar. With the growing skills shortage in the construction industry as a whole, we want to ensure more people have the opportunity to get involved and develop successful and long-lasting careers in this area. As a result we’re revitalising our apprenticeship scheme and introducing a degree apprenticeship programme for 2023.
We want our apprenticeship programme to offer a variety of entry routes, to give people the opportunity to build their studies from intermediate levels through to degree level apprenticeships.
The updated scheme aims to cover a wide range of occupational areas including civil engineering, quantity surveying, and business support.
Experience and Opportunity
Developing a highly skilled and committed workforce is essential for Octavius and for the entire infrastructure sector. We want even more people to follow the successful experiences of Will Stubbs, who is currently working as an assistant site engineer on the Flitwick interchange project.
Will was studying at West Herts College for a Level 3 extended diploma in civil engineering. He secured a work placement with us following a site visit to the Gade Valley Viaduct.
This led to an apprenticeship opportunity (HNC Level 4 in construction site management) and an NVQ in construction site supervision.
In January 2020 Will joined the Hertfordshire Framework Team and worked on the Essex Road project, shadowing the site engineer. After completing his apprenticeship and gaining valuable site experience he was offered the role of assistant site engineer, eventually moving on to the Flitwick interchange project.
“Every day I’m given the opportunity to really learn and get hands-on experience. This project involves works taking place in a busy area of Flitwick. There are lots of stakeholders to work with and, of course, the public. So it’s important we work closely with our supply chain and the client to minimise disruption and deliver the project on time.”
Will’s advice to would-be apprentices is to: “do your research… Make sure there’s a structured plan in place outlining what you will learn, the duration of the scheme and what are the opportunities if completed successfully. It’s important to know where this will take you.”
The quality of experience and clear progression opportunities are exactly what Octiavius is reinforcing through our updated apprenticeship programme for 2023.
For more information about the upcoming new apprenticeship scheme at Octavius Infrastructure, click here.
