‘My graduate apprenticeship has allowed me to see the wider opportunities open to me in the construction industry’
Craig Ramsay began as an apprentice in bricklaying and is now a supervisor on a construction site
“I left school and began an apprenticeship in bricklaying. On completing this, I was offered the opportunity to study further and completed my advanced craft in bricklaying. I worked as a bricklayer for three years, working on a wide variety of projects and gaining invaluable experience.
“My company offered me the opportunity to take on supervisor responsibilities and I undertook training to equip me for this role. Completing a work-based qualification fits perfectly with my style of learning, and means I can continue to work and gain valuable experience, alongside an industry-recognised qualification.
“Being on different projects and working with different people has built my now vast experience in construction, and is where I have learned my skills. I was attracted to the flexibility that the graduate apprenticeship programme offered, and the opportunities that it presented to continue to build both my education and my industry experience.
“As I have progressed to supervisor level, I have come to understand the complexity of construction. I had no idea how much goes on before the construction works actually start on site, and how much detailed planning is required. As I began managing works, I gained an appreciation for how other job roles interact and work together to ensure that projects go from inception to completion.
“I enjoy learning new skills and the challenge that this brings. Having been able to apply the new skills I’ve learned through studying on the graduate apprenticeship programme, I’ve begun to see the wider opportunities that this will open up for me, as I think towards my future career development.”
To find out more about apprenticeships at CITB, visit citb.co.uk/construction-apprentice
