Sam is an Apprentice Engineer at FM Conway, the term maintenance contractor for the Rochester Bridge Trust.
I joined FM Conway in 2015 as an apprentice civil engineer technician in the structures team. I’m studying towards a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in construction and the built environment.
The apprenticeship route appealed to me because I wanted to study and earn at the same time, with the possibility of staying on afterwards. It has also proved a good way to develop my understanding of the construction industry.
My work has been varied and taken in a number of different sites. One of those is Rochester’s bridges. Tasks here have included being involved in weekly plant audits; ordering plant and materials; taking minutes at Health & Safety meetings; managing timesheets and maintaining the training matrix.
Away from Rochester, I’ve worked on Bexley Bridge and the Piccadilly underpass.
In addition to my apprenticeship I’ve also signed up for personal learning and development, completing training in first aid and reversing assistant for site vehicles.
My course is two years, so it’s almost finished, and while most of my time is on site, three times a year I return to the classroom as a residential student at Bircham Newton in Norfolk.
I’m really enjoying my apprenticeship and being able to learn and earn in the company of people who I enjoy spending time with and who encourage me to do the best I possibly can.