This month, we’ve spoken a lot about working with us, and the wide variety of benefits we provide. To round off Careers in Construction Month for 2024, we wanted to speak directly to some of our latest new starters taking up apprenticeships here at HCE. 

Hayley, a Pre-Construction Apprentice, and Fred, an Apprentice Quantity Surveyor, recently began their career journeys with us. Their time is spent at both our head office and their concurrent college courses, during which they gain a rich mixture of experience and understanding of their respective areas, as well as the industry as a whole.

To explore this further, and get some valuable insight for those thinking about working in this field (and with us), we asked Hayley and Fred a number of questions about their experience so far – take a look below:

Hayley: I’m finding things are going good so far.

Fred: Work at HCE has been enjoyable to get into. I feel really engaged with the work I’m doing, and everyone is helpful.

Hayley: I get on with the various tasks I have, chat with colleagues, have my lunch, keep going with my work, then go home.

Fred: I just crack straight on with the work I have, or get something to do from one of the Senior Quantity Surveyors.

Hayley: I really enjoy the relaxed environment – also shoutout to the Friday company quizzes!

Fred: I enjoy that there are multiple ways of working out how to do a task, and that I can contact a number of people to help me if needed.

Hayley: It helps by reinforcing why things need to be done, and the processes that happen before and after we secure work.

Fred: College helps me understand why we do the things we do by breaking down the processes involved in being a Quantity Surveyor.

Hayley: I feel I have gotten better at decision-making, as I need to be able to prioritise the tasks that require more attention at any given time.

Fred: I have developed my skills a lot on Microsoft Excel, as it is a key tool in my job. I am now able to complete tasks I would never have thought I could do.

Hayley: Go for it. Be confident and just try your best!

Fred: I would advise people not to be afraid to ask for help as you are there to learn, and you aren’t going to know everything straight away.

A huge thank you to Hayley and Fred for taking the time to answer these questions. It’s great to see how well the two have settled into their respective roles and departments, and we can’t wait to watch their progress over the coming months and years as they progress their careers. To anyone out there eyeing up a potential apprenticeship or career in the construction and civil engineering industry, we hope this blog has provided some insight into why it might be for you.


As always, keep an eye on our website’s careers page here for the latest opportunities we have on offer.

Last week, we kicked off our Careers in Construction Month campaign by answering a simple question: why us? We strongly recommend giving it a read for a breakdown of who we are, and why you should consider working for us – you can find the blog here.

This week, we want to explore this further; both for apprentices, and our other roles across the company. To do this, we spoke to our Recruitment Manager Ewan Mason – who works with all new starters that join HCE – and pitched him a single question: what are the benefits of a career at Howard Civil Engineering?

From an apprentice perspective, a career in construction is a popular path to take. The Careers & Enterprise Company highlighted that, in a 2024 survey of 100,000 young people, construction took a top five spot in terms of career choice. But what can you expect from an apprenticeship with us? Here’s what Ewan had to say…

These are just a few of the many excellent reasons an apprenticeship at HCE could take you further than you had thought was possible. In addition to all of this, you’ll receive other wider benefits such as service awards, exposure to a wide range of work (housing, commercial, infrastructure, etc), company vehicles, cross progression (meaning you’re never tied down to your current path, and can expand into other areas of this industry and our business should you so choose), as well as the opportunity to work alongside other likeminded individuals that truly understand your role.


As always, keep an eye on our website’s careers page here for the latest opportunities we have on offer.

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