National Apprenticeship Week 2023: Meet Alex O’Shea

On the occasion of National Apprenticeship Week, we celebrate the diversity of opportunities that apprenticeships in construction bring.

Check out our new apprenticeship opportunities and apply today.

The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2023 is #SkillsForLife. Throughout the week we will reflect on how apprenticeships can support individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and help businesses to grow a talented workforce, equipped with skills for the future.

Alex O’Shea has been with Sir Robert McAlpine for 3 years, working as an Apprentice Estimator in our Southern Region. Although he largely works in pre-construction from Woking, he is also involved with value engineering on site at One Station Hill in Reading. Head over to our Instagram page to watch Alex's 'day in the life of' video and learn more about his role.

I am really happy with how my career is progressing at Sir Robert McAlpine. I thoroughly enjoy working in pre-construction as a construction finance estimator and would like to continue working on developing my skills and knowledge in the commercial field. I’m looking forward to my next 3 years of studying which Sir Robert McAlpine is supporting.

Alex O'Shea,

Alex enjoys the variety of his role as “no two days are the same”. He feels he is learning something new each day and progressing his abilities. He also enjoys getting involved in our exciting landmark projects.

Strong family values, professionalism and excellence are just a few of the #SkillsForLife Alex has developed during his apprenticeship.

He initially chose to work within the construction industry as he wanted to work in a sector that makes a positive and recognisable impression on society.

“I felt that an apprenticeship in construction would enable me to both learn and explore my future career whilst allowing me to get stuck in with work and gain hands on invaluable experience.”

Alex has many career highlights including the first major project that he worked on when he started with us back in 2020: “Having access to the design information and being part of a great team was so fresh and exciting and still is to this day”.

Alex was also awarded, ‘The Best Student In Construction, Property & Surveying 2022’ by the McGrath charitable foundation trust in 2022.

“I’d 100% recommend an apprenticeship at Sir Robert McAlpine as an industry leader for construction in the UK. Working within a renowned yet family orientated company, you have the opportunity to learn about construction at its finest whilst working on some exciting projects”.

So what’s next for Alex? Over the next five years, he’s aspiring to complete his BSc In Commercial Management to enable him to tackle more major tenders!

Did we mention to check out our social media channels this week?!

We'll be sharing National Apprenticeship Week content each day, so watch this space! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. You can also follow Alex’s journey in construction via his Instagram page: @Alex_does_construction

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Apprenticeships

We offer a range of apprenticeship opportunities - combining practical experience on landmark projects with learning delivered through education providers at a local level.

Read more about Apprenticeships