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Degree Apprentice surveys new career

06/03/2019
Degree Apprentice surveys new career

A Dudley Borough Council employee is surveying an ambition to further her career by studying for a Degree Apprenticeship at the University of Wolverhampton.

Charlotte Edmunds, 26 from Kingswinford in the Black Country, works in Dudley Borough Council’s Housing Maintenance team as a Construction Management and Surveying Trainee and is studying for a Degree Apprenticeship in Chartered Surveying in the School of Architecture and Built Environment at the University’s City Campus in Wolverhampton.

The role has a requirement to gain an overall appreciation of the various roles within Construction Project Management and Quantity Surveying principles and is focused upon supporting the Housing Maintenance Team. 

Housing Maintenance Team is the directorate’s in-house maintenance team which operates from the Leys Depot - Brierley Hill, Lister Road - Dudley and offices based at Forge House, Brierley Hill.  The in-house maintenance team is one of the largest and most diverse in the country with over 300 craft production operatives and modern apprentices, which are managed by a team of technical, surveying and support staff. These teams also administer and co-ordinate a range of local SME's, specialist contractors and national partners, who support and complement the directly employed trade’s people to deliver repairs and improvement programmes to the Council’s housing stock, corporate buildings and schools.

Housing Maintenance Team also includes the operation and management of the Repairs Management Centre (RMC) based at the Harbour Buildings, which operates 7 days per week and handles over 130,000 calls per annum.

Chartered Surveyors are property professionals who provide diverse services and offer impartial, specialist advice on a variety of property related issues. They work in all fields of property and building consultancy.

Charlotte said: “When the Trainee Quantity Surveyor jobs came up I jumped at the chance to do something that would lead to a career and something that would be a bit of a challenge for me.

“When I left school I had no intention of studying for a degree, I just wanted to start working.  It’s ideal that I can train and study at the same time now.”

Councillor Keiran Casey, Cabinet Member for Housing at Dudley Council said:

"As an employer, we want to ensure that we do everything possible working with local educational facilities such as the University of Wolverhampton to expand the opportunities for our employees to progress and develop their skills.

“The course is paid for, sponsored and funded through the Apprenticeship Levy and the council as an employer, so over the course of the scheme we end up producing well qualified, very knowledgeable expert members of staff.

“Quantity Surveyors have a very specific skill set and we’ve experienced a skills gap recently, coupled with an ageing workforce, so hopefully by working together we can expand opportunities for all and address the skills shortage."

Paul Hampton, Head of Architecture and Built Environment at the University, said: “Chartered Surveyors are part of a team responsible for the planning, development and valuation of built environment projects.

“The Apprenticeship course includes elements of work-based learning, pre-contract studies, on-site construction works, project control and on-site decision making, management and liaison with clients, construction professionals and operatives.”

The University offers Higher and Degree Apprenticeships in Chartered Management (CMDA), Senior Leader Master’s Degree Apprenticeship, Higher Apprenticeship in Construction Management with pathways for Civil Engineering & Built Environment, Chartered Surveyor, Chartered Legal Executive, Manufacturing Engineer, Design & Development Engineer, Civil Engineering, Nursing Associate, Nursing Degree Apprenticeship, Postgraduate Teaching, Digital and Technology Solutions Professional and Healthcare Science Practitioner (Respiratory & Sleep Physiology or Cardiac Physiology) Degree Apprenticeships.

Future Higher/Degree Apprenticeships will include Policing, Social Work, Building Control, Laboratory Science and Paramedic Degree Apprenticeships.

The University’s Apprenticeship Hub provides a bespoke and independent venue for potential apprentices, employers and learning providers, offering clear and integrated progression routes for vocational pathways.

ENDS

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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