Say hello to our newest engineering apprentice, Liam Chesney! Liam became a part of the Howard Civil Engineering team last month after completing his 6-week construction skills training at Rotherham Skills Academy with flying colours and is now working on our Cloverleaf Court site in Sheffield.

We first met Liam, 23, at Rotherham Skills Academy’s ‘Women in Construction’ event in May, where made quite an impression with his bubbly personality and his enthusiasm for engineering. Along with a group of his peers, Liam was then invited to attend a mock interview hosted by Howard Civil Engineering which enabled trainees to practice their interview skills with a real-life construction company.

Our team were so impressed with Liam’s responses that he left the mock interview with an invitation to join Howard Civil Engineering as an Engineering Apprentice!

‘I always knew I wanted to work in construction, so signing up with Rotherham Skills Academy once I moved to Sheffield was the obvious thing to do,’ says Liam. ‘I particularly liked the way Howard Civil Engineering came across, both at the ‘Women in Construction’ event hosted by Rotherham Skills Academy and in the mock interview. I’ve been a part of the team for almost a month now and my favourite thing about the role so far has definitely been the people I’ve met.’

Liam has been working as a labourer at Cloverleaf Court, a new development of 13 family homes in Sheffield, until he can attend college later this autumn. ‘I like doing things with my hands, and every day on site there has been something different to get stuck into,’ he said. ‘When I first started, my site manager was very patient with me and showed me what I needed to do as many times as I needed until I felt confident that I knew what I was doing. There’s no ego here, and everyone wants to help you.’

Part of the Skills People Groupand Construction Skills People, Rotherham Skills Academy offer fully funded courses in construction and is one of the UK’s largest private training providers.

‘Liam was always very inquisitive about how he could maximise his prospects and keen to understand the opportunities available to him,’ said Rotherham Skills Academy manager Alan Briggs. ‘Liam worked hard throughout his course and was very supportive of other learners. We are proud to have placed Liam with a company of such stature as Howard Civil Engineering and wish him great success in the future.’

So, what does the future hold for Liam? He was keen to let us know!

‘After I finish my apprenticeship, I want to climb the career ladder as high as I can and go as far as I can. I want to be my boss’s boss. Liam Chesney, Contracts Manager – it has a nice ring to it!’

Keep up the hard work Liam, and you can get there!