Quantity surveyor Review
at JN Bentley
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Construction
Blackburn, Lancashire
Review Submitted: July 2020
Overall Rating
4.2 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4/5
-
Overview of Role
5/5
-
Skills Development
3.6/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
You spend 4 days of the work week either in your main office or on site working along side your mentor and other members of the team, learning how your job needs to be performed and the techniques you need to learn. You then spend one day a week in a college with the lsp tutors to complete the work set out for you to pass your course. The college covers both your level 3 deploma and your NVQ.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
This give you the idea of what it would be like to be a qualified quantity surveyor in the industry word. And while it turns out this particular sector wasn't for me I can say with apsolut certainty that I now know what job roles I need to be in and what work I'd like to be doing. This course doesn't just teach you how to do your job, it teaches you what job you want to do.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
I started with no experience or qualifications for the job and left in the top section of my college with an 100% completion of the course. I'd say that if this course hadn't allowed me to learn and develop in the speed necessary this result would not have been possible. I also believe that I will be using at least 60% of the knowledge I have taken on in any other job I get from now on
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
2/5
This comes down to personal preference, and for me this needs some attention. The work loan is not explained in a way that helps you at the beginning and that tends to leave you with a bulk of work to do at the last few months. Where as some of the people tend to figure this out for themselves and have no work to do in the last few months. More structure to make sure the lessons and broken down into a steady learning curve is necessary.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
3/5
This depends on the employer. Some will go above and beyond to ensure you have everything you could possibly need to become the next best employee. But unfortunately, some will just use you for cheap labour... this all depends on who you, if you are making progress in the way they want that will spend time, effort, and resources to make you even better. But if you are not the best you could be left without a job at the end. This may not feel like a competition, but it is.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
5/5
I can only speak from my experience with Learning Skills Partnership. They went way beyond what was expected of them. I haven't seen a more caring and understanding set of tutors in a long time. They care for each student to the point what even though the tutor may be teaching 100 different people each year, that still remember and care about every single detail of your personal preferences and even struggles. I can safely safe LSP will ensure this apprenticeship is worth it.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
This give you the idea of what it would be like to be a qualified quantity surveyor in the industry word. And while it turns out this particular sector wasn't for me I can say with apsolut certainty that I now know what job roles I need to be in and what work I'd like to be doing. This course doesn't just teach you how to do your job, it teaches you what job you want to do.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
4/5
Yes, there are sporting events like baseball, football events weekly, book clubs, yoga mornings, and even endurance karting teams (if which I came 3rd not to brag). There is also summer events and Christmas celebrations. You get pop quizzes and in office competitions like a pumpkin carving competition on Halloween.
There is usually something for everyone and these will all make you a better member of the team so they are all worth at least a try.
There is usually something for everyone and these will all make you a better member of the team so they are all worth at least a try.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend JN Bentley to a friend?
Yes
Why?
The overall work they do is great and the people they work with are incredibly intelligent and competent. But I will advise them that no matter how good you are at your job and no matter how well you get on with the team you will only go far if your line manager "likes you". If that is not the case you will loose you job the first slip up you do. And most of the time you will not see it coming.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to JN Bentley?
Work hard every second of the job. Never stop asking for work even if you have done a weeks work in a day, keep asking. Never touch your phone and if you smoke try not to. They pretend to be a layed back company that can have fun but they are not. The only way you can have fun at the company is if you rise to a senior level. So hard hard to not drown in work.
