Everyone wants to be successful no matter what industry you’re in. But success isn’t handed to you – you have to work hard for it and take advantage of opportunities when they come your way. This is what I’ve done and it’s served me pretty well so far.

I’d always wanted to learn a trade and work with my hands and that’s why I decided that an apprenticeship was the best fit for me. I started my career with City Building as an apprentice carpenter and joiner in 2009 and really enjoyed learning all about my trade as well as the wider construction industry. I knew that if I got my head down, worked hard and showed that I was keen then I would progress and do well. In the final year of my apprenticeship I was nominated for and won the Scottish heat of Skillbuild - the largest multi-trade competition in the country.

After completing my apprenticeship and winning the Skillbuild heat I still wanted to progress more. I was becoming more curious about the ins and outs of managing the large projects that I had worked on as joiner. I had seen on our intranet that a position had become available for a trainee Quantity Surveyor. I’d enjoyed maths at school and I was interested in finding out how the projects were managed and budgeted so I decided to throw my hat in the ring.

It’s been a great move for me. It was a bit of an adjustment at the start – taking a step back from the tools and looking more analytically about the bigger picture but I love it and can’t wait to get stuck in when I complete my traineeship.

City Building have supported me through this new step in my career giving me time to study and attend my classes as well as funding my traineeship. When I speak with the other apprentices at City Building I tell them that if they work hard and get their head down like I did then the same opportunities can come their way – but nobody is going to hand success to you, you need to claim it for yourself.