Blog: Q and A

05 July 2018

Hannah Goddard - Technical Apprentice with Willmott Dixon

Having joined CoTrain in July 2017, Hannah Goddard is currently working as a Technical Apprentice with Willmott Dixon, working on the Kilnwood Vale Primary School Project. Initially working towards a level 3 apprenticeship in planning, Hannah is now following the pre-construction management trainee route.

What is the role do you do?

My role was originally to be a planner. This role would have involved me planning a job from start to finish, from pre-construction to handover. However, it came to my attention that I cannot effectively plan a programme without knowing the key parts throughout the construction process. My new role involves me having placements with different departments, working alongside their teams and understanding their processes.

What does it mean?

It means I’m able to work with all the departments throughout a project. It allows me to understand what role each department plays in getting a job to site. Once my job is on site, I will then do my placement and see the other side of construction; the physical work and on site life.

Why construction?

I fell into construction as I wanted to plan and manage things. I also wanted a working environment that differed on a day to day basis.

What do you enjoy about the job?

I enjoy many things about my job. I like that fact that I have so much support available to me. I enjoy the fact that my line manger gets me involved in such varied work, as this helps with my development. I enjoy meeting new people, there is always someone new in the office.

What are the challenges you face?

The Challenges I face are applying my college course to work. Yes, the basic methods such as soil testing, health and safety and the main martials used (blockwork, timber, steel, concrete) will be the same however the course just teaches you the basis so trying to apply it to a company and how they build is a challenge. On the other hand, applying work to the course, as I’ve not been on site yet, I just must talk and write about all these methods without knowing. When I go to site all my college work, that I’ve done so far, will bring understanding.

On a typical week – what activities do you do?

My Typical working day will start at 7am and will end around 4 or 4:30 - sometimes later.

There can be many activities that happen though the week. Some weeks can be filled with meetings and events, where as some days are purely working days. The working day will depend on where the project is and what needs to happen.

The future…….

The future will be fun! I’m looking forward to continuing my journey within construction. It is a very creative industry, I’m looking forward to building up knowledge and being about to contribute to every project.