Before my apprenticeship I was a full time sixth form student studying 3 A Levels. During a politics seminar with a former MP, a question was asked on who would not want to embark on university full time. I was one of the very few people who raised their hand. She asked me to stand up and say what I wanted to do and said I want to become a degree apprentice. From there I made it my mission to make that aspiration into a reality. I started to look at the different industries and came across Project Controls Degree Apprentice listed on the job description on LinkedIn. From there, my interest in the construction industry grew and my eyes were set on building my career in that sector.

The constant rejections with minimal feedback was a significant demotivator. The pressure that I had put on myself since the seminar made me question if I was ever suitable for an apprenticeship.

TikTok gave me an insight on the benefits of pursuing an apprenticeship like earning a decent salary in corporate spaces. Personally, what motivated me to pursue an apprenticeship was to gain a debt free degree, learn from the construction industry's best professionals so that I can build my career in a productive way, so that more doors can be opened in the future from precedents of experience. Furthermore, saving money and investing in long term assets and help provide for my family.

LinkedIn — I searched project controls jobs in Manchester and I was redirected to my company. From there I began to research the company.

Project Controls is a part of the Programme Management Office that makes sure that deliverables and benefits are realised against the scope throughout the lifecycle. The key analysis involved in my role includes: risk management, cost control, scheduling, building information modelling etc. So far in my day-to-day, I have been doing rigorous training and onboarding sessions which included a trip to London for a national induction. Networking with people across the regions helped me gain a professional and informal relationship with them, so that I would feel comfortable doing teams presentations concerning competencies.

To always 'back myself' in my abilities as a project controller working in a male dominated industry and to personally be more confident socially. Even by the way I carry myself in public, wanting to create more meaningful conversations with strangers, to even giving a smile — it makes my day better and hopefully theirs too. Finally, partaking in a corporate social responsibility initiative where I went to Prestwich to engage in mock interviews with year 11's. This gave me a further insight on how much young people are eager to succeed but do not know how to consume the resources available to them.

My biggest achievement is doing exactly what I promised myself I was going to do since the seminar. My journey has taught me the power of resilience and determination to always want the best for yourself even if people looked down on me.