Sean Robertson
Modern Apprenticeship
Joinery Apprenticeship (CITB)
“The beauty of a construction apprenticeship it is you can join from school, so you are earning at 16. By the time you’re 20 you’re on a full time wage compared to university which is 4 years, and then you have a traineeship.”
At 21 Sean Robertson is in the fourth year of his joinery apprenticeship with NESCol and the CITB*. He works for Morrison Construction and he has been shortlisted as a finalist for the NESCol 2021 Apprentice of the Year awards.
Sean chose construction because he always liked the idea of working for himself.
He said, “There are so many avenues to it. You can be your own boss or a site agent. It’s just handy at home as well. I’ve helped build my parents’ house at nights and weekends which gave me a lot of experience and it was great seeing it from start to finish. There’s nothing like doing a job yourself, it makes you think on your feet and problem solve more.”
He continues, “The beauty of a construction apprenticeship it is you can join from school so you are earning at 16. By the time you’re 20 you’re on a full time wage compared to university which is 4 years, and then you have a traineeship.
“Once you have your qualification you’ve got it for your life – which I think is a really good thing.”
Sean becomes fully qualified in September. He will either be kept on by his employer or go elsewhere. There are plenty of options for him once his time is served and he is looking forward to expanding his experience and seeing what he future holds.
*Construction Industry Training Board