How did you come to join Kier?
“I actually had an apprenticeship elsewhere before joining Kier but left that role because it wasn’t quite what I wanted to go into. It was a general HR admin type of role, but I was more interested in the recruitment side of things as opposed to a wider range of HR projects.
“When I saw the job description for the apprenticeship at Kier, I was interested straight away because it was tailored towards supporting the recruitment function, something I was really interested in. To be totally honest, I didn’t have much prior knowledge on Kier or the wider construction industry, but the opportunity came up and I decided to apply. I was lucky that it came up!”
What course were you on during your apprenticeship?
“I did a Level 3 Business Admin course which is equivalent to two A-Levels. For the first six months, every month I had to go to London for two days for a classroom session, near Tower Bridge which was quite cool. It was more of a classroom, learn and answer questions environment.
“After that, it was an online call or visit to the office from my development coach. I hit the end point assessment after that where I had to do an interview, a portfolio, and a presentation on my work, gaining my Level 3 qualification after just over a year.”
You have progressed since joining Kier. From an apprentice to a senior recruiter. How have your responsibilities changed over that time?
“When I first started [as an apprentice] it was very much an administrative based role, managing inboxes, interview bookings and really just being a cog in the team that kept things working. I then became a junior recruiter where I took ownership of my own roles, met hiring managers and spoke to HR business partners (HRBP).
“All in all, it was a quite natural progression from apprentice to junior recruiter, to recruiter and now senior recruiter. It was all quite seamless during those changes of roles; the day-to-day didn’t change too much as it’s still talking to candidates, reading CVs and speaking with my hiring managers.”
What big challenges do you face in your role?
“Between the summer months it picks up massively, as it’s peak season for graduates and apprentices. Christmas can also be quite challenging for applications because typically everyone winds down at that time of year.
“At the beginning of each year though we get great engagement, everyone seems to want a new opportunity in January, so it becomes busier then for us too. We always try to engage our apprentices early in the year as well, so they’ve got a secure opportunity before they come to thinking about exams in the summer.”
What’s your favourite part of the job?
“Definitely school events to talk about what an apprenticeship is and the opportunities it can provide.
“There’s a real lack of organisations and industries getting themselves out to schools and sharing what they can offer, and it makes it harder for students to realise what’s out there. There’s a massive educational piece that we need to keep providing at schools. And especially when thinking about the construction industry, we need to change the perception of “male, manual and muddy” and show the next generation there’s room for everyone within construction.
“Aside from the events, another nice aspect of the role is being able to tell candidates that they’ve been offered a job, those phone calls are a highlight.”
