Rebecca Brenna | Rail Degree Apprentice
Amey’s Apprenticeship program has been a career changer for me and an amazing opportunity to gain education and experience in engineering while discovering my passion for the railways. The structured career progression makes it so straightforward to develop and Amey is supporting us apprentices throughout, in every aspect possible. The work experience and the university modules are structured to gradually increase our knowledge.
I always look forward to seeing the other apprentices at the university campus and experiencing the student life, as well as having five years of amazing hands-on working experience with many exciting projects, tools, software and skills, all of which will prepare me for a great engineering career! I’m so thrilled to be part of the Rail Degree Apprentice programme.
Matthew Hemmingway - Apprentice Quantity Surveyor | Barnsley Schools | Secure Infrastructure
“During my two years at sixth form college I was unsure which subject I wanted to study at university. Originally I had gained a place for a subject I wasn’t 100% sure on and towards the end of my second year, when I began researching and applying for student loans it became apparent that financially I would struggle over the next three years at university. I definitely wanted to go though, so I started researching alternative options.
Before looking into it, I had never previously heard of degree apprenticeships. I had always assumed apprenticeships were more for students leaving secondary school to achieve a Level 3 qualification. I began looking on Gov.uk apprenticeship site, reading descriptions of jobs and skills they were looking for, to see which would suit me best. I eventually stuck on Quantity Surveying and applied for the role with Carillion PLC in 2016. Following success at the interview day I joined the Barnsley BSF team where I still work today as the contract joined Amey in 2018.
As part of my apprenticeship I work alongside the Barnsley team with my main responsibilities being assisting the projects team delivering building alterations and lifecycle work within 11 secondary schools. I am also exposed to the wider business and have assisted on Braford BSF and the Prisons contract during my time at Amey. I am granted one study day a week in which I attend Sheffield Hallam University where I am enrolled on the BSc Quantity Surveying course.
I would recommend this route to others as it allows you to gain valuable real industry experience simulations to completing your degree. The theory you learn at university can be put into practice on the job and vice-versa. Another key benefit to this route is that your degree is completely funded meaning you will leave university with zero debt and you also earn a salary whilst doing it. I feel I have gained much more real-world knowledge and experience from this route than I would have solely through attending university.”
Take a look at all Amey apprenticeship opportunities: https://www.amey.co.uk/your-career/early-careers/apprentices/