Balancing motherhood and a degree apprenticeship - Chloe Bullock's story

Let us introduce you to Chloe Bullock, assistant quantity surveyor at Kier, who is working on our South West Water Framework whilst studying for her degree in construction quantity surveying through a degree apprenticeship at Kier. 

“First and foremost, I am mum to two little boys, and we live in Cornwall. I like going for walks down the beach or in the forest, and if the weather is right, I enjoy a bit of paddleboarding and bodyboarding – all the stuff you do when you live near the beach!” Chloe laughs. 

Day to day at Kier, Chloe works within the reactive, planned maintenance and new connection contracts. She reviews work carried out by Kier teams, organises and pays subcontractors who repair and maintain the freshwater network. 

“We fix all sorts; it could be anything from a water main burst through to repairing someone’s stop tap, or even building damns and translocating a large number of fish,” Chloe explains. 

Chloe’s journey into the construction industry 

Chloe started her career in temporary roles, supporting a pharmaceutical company with quality assurance administration duties as she worked her way up to permanent roles. Eventually, she specialised in in-house recruitment before she moved to clinical commissioning. 

“In all my roles, I’ve been able to demonstrate transferable skills, but the jump from clinical commissioning to quantity surveying seems most surprising,” Chloe explains. 

“Realistically, they’re completely transferable; it’s all contractual, financial and highly legislated” she adds. 

In 2019, Chloe took a break from the working world to go on maternity leave with her second son. When she was ready to return, Chloe joined Kier as a commercial assistant on a temporary contract. 

As the project grew more demanding, Kier was able to offer her a permanent role. 

“Because this was a complete career change for me, I really wanted to gain a qualification to learn more about construction because I was really interested in properly pursuing it as a career,” Chloe shares. 

As a result, Chloe applied to a degree apprenticeship at Sheffield Hallam University as a mature student, allowing her to use her experience instead of school grades to apply. 

Degree apprenticeships at Kier 

Kier completely pays for Chloe’s degree, and she also earns a salary for the work she does at Kier. 

To begin with, Chloe was enrolled in the course at Sheffield Hallam University. This involved being released from work to spend block weeks every three months in Sheffield and attend lectures and seminars in person, with all accommodation and expenses covered by Kier. 

“My first 2 years, I did the commuting all the way up to Sheffield from Cornwall, but given the fact I have two young children, I was really struggling to make it work for my family,” Chloe explained. 

After explaining this to her line manager, a recent graduate from the same course, Chloe has put the course on hold for a year and will resume with an online training provider in March 2026. 

“I can hands down say Kier is the best company I’ve ever worked for and, you know, I’m in my mid-30s, I’ve worked for some huge brands before, but Kier has just been so accommodating for me,” Chloe beams. 

“I didn’t really apply myself at school, and I’m really determined to show myself that I can actually do it,” she admits. 

“Plus, it’s basically like a free course that ultimately is going to help you earn more money as you progress through your career – it feels like a no-brainer to me,” she adds. 

Balancing kids and a degree apprenticeship 

As the mother of two young boys, Chloe already has her hands full, and studying towards a degree apprenticeship became another plate to spin. 

“As far as kids are concerned, that balance is a little bit hard I’m not going to lie,” Chloe shares. 

“Kier, of course, gives you time to do your assignments or any other work related to your degree whilst you’re at work, but there’s still an element of working you have to do at home”, she explains further. 

As an apprentice, you are entitled to at least 20% of your working hours to be dedicated only to your apprenticeship. But that doesn’t mean there’s not still things to do in your own time too. 

“Friends always ask me how on earth I’m managing it with two kids, but it’s just about carving out the time for it – instead of watching TV every night after they’ve gone to bed, I get some of my uni work done a couple nights a week,” Chloe explains. 

“Despite the challenges, it’s still genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever done; it’s helped me understand my role, led to promotions, and given me a massive sense of achievement,” she beams. 

It’s never too late to start your further education journey, and an apprenticeship is a fantastic way to jump into something new. Take a look at our apprenticeship vacancies today.