Industry Insights: Construction by Abdul

Hi there, my name is Abdul Karim Deen Sesay and I am 19 years old. I am currently taking a gap year in order to gain an apprenticeship in Quantity surveying in the construction industry.

Originally, I had a different career path in mind which was Digital Marketing but after enrolling myself in the construction youth trust program, I was able to discover more about the construction industry and the many job opportunities and career paths which led me to choose to become a Quantity Surveyor .

The reason why I chose to pick Quantity Surveying as my career choice is because the job role can always bring something new to me daily such as new problems to solve which will enable me to reach my full potential. This allows the mind to be stimulated with new challenges which can be solved through thorough collaboration with other employers. Overall being able to make a huge difference to people's lives is what inspired me to get on this career path in construction

You are probably wondering what on earth is Quantity Surveying, well, it is the process of managing costs of different construction projects, quantities of materials needed,project timelines and being able to give this information towards the client that you are working with.

If anyone would like to get into this field, then the skills required are problem solving skills, microsoft excel, mathematics, communication skills, presentation skills and organisational skills. This will allow you to become an effective Quantity surveyor within the construction industry as well being reliable to the company that you are working at.

The way I am going to be able to enter the construction industry (Quantity Surveying), is by gaining a degree apprenticeship which is the process of going to university but also working with the company that sent you to the university. The company would normally pay for your university degree which prevents you from gaining debt as well allowing you to be able to apply the knowledge that you have learnt at university in the office. This allows you to be able to excel at a faster rate compared to people that are at university due to actually knowing how to do the job efficiently.

Although this is the case, there are many challenges in becoming a degree apprentice in Quantity surveying such as having to meet loads of deadlines on time, being able to learn and apply the knowledge from the apprenticeship program. Even the process of applying to degree apprenticeships is a very tedious process in which loads of rejections can happen. But I believe that through faith,prayer,discipline and hardwork , it will be possible to be able to gain an apprenticeship in construction or in another sector.

Honestly, the advice that I would personally give for anyone that wants to get a degree apprenticeship is to prepare your cover letters throughout the summer holidays or half terms so that you can give yourself time to actually research the company thoroughly to give yourself a higher chance in getting a degree apprenticeship. Finally, another piece of advice is to realise that rejection is redirection as the company may not have been the right one for you meaning that you will be able to find a better company suited towards you.

I wish all you guys the best with your future career journey.

Philippians 4:13 “ I can do all things through christ who strengthens me”

By Abdul Karim Deen Sesay