Assistant Design Manager Review
at Kier Group
Higher Level Apprenticeship
Construction
Plymouth
Review Submitted: May 2023
Overall Rating
4.1 /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!
3.5/5
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Overview of Role
5/5
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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
My time within my day to day role is split between completing my job as well as 20% of my time being allocated to On The Job Learning (Uni coursework/assignments). Daily tasks include attending meetings with both internal and external teams, completing site walk rounds doing quality inspections, reviewing drawings, models and samples and then providing comments as necessary, as well as producing key documents such as trackers to review progress throughout the course of the project.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
3/5
I enjoy my day to day role, i find the work interesting and fulfilling to be a part of projects which go on to positively affect the local community upon their completion. My company's support throughout this programme has been excellent, particularly from my mentors who have been there to guide and assist my learning from day one. However I find the university somewhat disorganized which can bring a lot of stress.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
During my time in this role the opportunities to expand my knowledge and skills have been vast. The company supports your growth and development by putting you forward for any (fully funded) training courses you may require to better complete your job role. As such, as your experience increases so do your responsibilities, including being able to earn promotions.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
3/5
As mentioned in my previous answer, i find Kier to be very well structured, organised and managed. If i ever encounter any issues for which i require my company's support with handling i know i have a good team and support network around me to deal with any such needs. However i find the university to be rather disorganised which can provide numerous complications and high stress levels.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
My employer is very supportive, both my line manager and mentor take an interest in/ support my learning as well as my career. As per company policy we conduct 6 monthly reviews for our day to day role as well as quarterly reviews to monitor our academic progress. This allows me to raise any issues i may have E.g. workload/looming uni deadlines etc.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
We have a Work Based Learning Coach allocated to us from the university, in past years i haven't always found them to be particularly helpful. I got the impression that our meetings were a box ticking exercise for them however our current coach is much more engaged and actually takes an interest in what we are doing, he also ensures any questions we have are chased up and answers given to us.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
By gaining this qualification from my training provider i hope to expand my knowledge in my field to be able to improve the way i complete my role as well as my decision making ability (to make the right judgement calls). This qualification also allows me to progress further in my career, as such completing better work and for better pay.
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, i am involved in a couple of extra-curricular activities through my work, i am part of the local BPart network which involves attending monthly seminars with other apprentices and offered the opportunity to network afterwards. I have also been part of Kier's Emerging Talents programme which supports the professional and academic development of it's trainees/ apprentices/ graduates.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Kier Group to a friend?
Yes
Why?
I would, and have, recommended Kier to a friend because they support their staff, offer a good benefits package, offer progression opportunities and also the attitudes and behaviour of the vast majority of the employees creates a friendly and pleasant environment to work in. I have found it to be a much better place to work than previous employers.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Kier Group?
I would absolutely recommend completing work experience prior to applying to Kier or any company for that matter. I completed 3 months work experience prior to applying and it massively helped my application process because i already knew all the staff, the company structure as well as their processes for completing relevant tasks.
