SWTRA Apprenticeships - Lloyd's story

I joined the Welsh apprenticeship alliance and received two job offers. SWTRA was more local to me and were willing to offer a program that allowed me to begin my career as a civil engineer by putting me in college while offering experience in the maintenance of roads and structures. SWTRA work for welsh government therefore that comes with its own benefits.

I believe an apprenticeship is a great way to begin your career as you can get qualified while getting experience and pay at the same time. ‘Earn and learn.’

There is a clear progression rate, as you get more qualified and more experienced, you will move up in the organisation and more opportunities will arise (promotions, pay rises etc.)

To be a fully qualified civil engineer and to increase rank at SWTRA.

I have learnt to work in both site and office based environments and also working from home. I have learnt a lot in college and with the NVQ course. The NVQ is a great qualification as it links the college course to your work, showing that you are competent in doing both.

All of my colleagues have been really helpful from the beginning in showing me the ropes within the company and helping me learn while out on site or in the office, whatever the task may be. They have also been helpful with the college course, whether it be telling me to prioritise an assignment to help with meeting deadlines or even offering support to do the assignments itself, they’re always happy to help when they can.

I gained qualifications at GCSE level such as Engineering, CAD and Maths, then pushed further for an extra year in 6th form towards some level 3 qualifications but decided to leave early in order to kick-start a career in industry through this apprenticeship. I’m currently in my second year of a level 3 course and am hopeful to be able to carry on getting more qualifications under my belt.

Go for it.

Make sure to stay on top of college work and get assignments done promptly. Use any free time you’re given to do this.