Vlad Rusu is a quantity surveying apprentice at Highways England
“My work revolves around the three imperatives at Highways England, which are: safety, customer service and delivery. My aim is to deliver a project on budget, on time, safely and to ensure customers (ie, road users, motorists and local residents) are affected as little as possible due to our activities on our motorways and A-roads. I am currently on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon project, the largest infrastructure project in the UK, worth £1.5 billion!”
“Opportunities like this are rare to find in the construction industry, especially as an apprentice, but Highways England provides it—and these opportunities are only set to increase due to the massive increase in funding being secured for RIS2 and the major projects that are in the pipeline.”
“The rewards at Highways England are outstanding. We have several ways we get praised for the work we produce. For example, we have end of year reviews where if we successfully achieve all of our yearly objectives, we receive a bonus. We also have ‘High5’ rewards, an internal recognition system to praise and reward the hard work all colleagues put in.”
“Furthermore, we have a yearly awards ceremony where we could win Apprentice or Graduate of the Year, awards for our values (safety, teamwork, ownership, integrity and passion), and many more. The harder you work at Highways England, the more you will learn and get rewarded for it. I am not saying it is easy, however, I can guarantee that it is definitely worth it. I was one of the lucky few to receive an award this year with Apprentice of the Year 2019, and I was extremely pleased to see the hard work put into the company getting recognised.”
“There are a vast number of activities you can get involved with outside of your work at Highways England, such as charity work, careers fairs, sports events, socials and visiting schools to promote the company. If I could go back to choosing between an apprenticeship or university, I would not hesitate for a second and definitely apply for an apprenticeship at Highways England once again.”
To find out more about opportunities at Highways England and to apply, visit careers.highwaysengland.co.uk
