Ben Conroy, Trainee Quantity Surveyor

What discipline are you currently working in?

Quantity Surveying

What are you studying?

Part time BSc in Quantity Surveying at Liverpool John Moore’s

How did you hear about the opportunity at Sir Robert McAlpine?

I heard about the opportunity to do a degree apprenticeship from my chosen University. I then looked through the top construction companies in the UK and Sir Robert McAlpine stood out as a company I would want to work for.

What subjects did you take at school / A-level?

Biology, Chemistry and Business – I didn’t really know I wanted to do Quantity Surveying when I picked my A levels. Luckily the course is quite flexible and does not require you to do specific A-levels

Prior to working at Sir Robert McAlpine, do you have any other work experience?

I did a week’s Quantity Surveying work experience within the private QS sector which was very useful.

Tell us about your role

The role of a Quantity Surveyor is to control the costs on a construction project. As a trainee I have been given the responsibility of looking after some of the packages on my current project such as decoration, scaffolding, temporary electrics and mast climbers.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Each day is usually different which is something I like about the job. The main thing I will be doing is valuing the works carried out by the subcontractors within the packages I am looking after.

What does your future look like?

The career of quantity surveying allows for a lot of potential progression. I would like to become Chartered with The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) within the next few years. The potential path you can take within the contractor sector is to become a Quantity Surveyor then a Senior Quantity Surveyor and then a Commercial Manager.