Ryan Allen, 27 from Stafford, studied for Chartered Surveyor Degree Apprenticeship in the University’s School of Architecture and Built Environment, funded by his employer Turner & Townsend through the Apprenticeship Levy. He is the first employee at Turner & Townsend and University of Wolverhampton graduate to complete the Chartered Degree Apprenticeship route, is the University’s first Apprentice to successfully achieve Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Chartership and he has also secured a First Class Degree in Quantity Surveying.

Ryan is a Consultant, Contract Services at Turner & Townsend and studied part time for the three year Apprenticeship whilst at the same time working towards becoming a Chartered Member of RICS. He followed the traditional education route of taking A Levels and then starting a degree in Astrophysics at university, not sure about what kind of career path he wanted to follow.

Not really enjoying the academic study, Ryan left university and began to work on site in construction, getting hands on experience in the industry. He said: “After working in construction and getting hands on experience of the industry I knew that it was important to get formal qualifications and find a career path that interested me.

“The important thing about the Degree Apprenticeship is the opportunity to work towards an industry standard Chartership which gives you professional accreditation. It’s globally recognised and assures clients that you are qualified to give accurate advice. It took me two years to work towards the accreditation and sometimes it was tough going with a mixture of formal and informal learning, a really challenging final six months which will bring rewards in terms of my career path.

“I want to move upwards and the Degree Apprenticeship taught me a lot about the construction industry, learning how it’s been shaped and my ambition is to influence change in the industry. The course was really relevant and current and there was a good network of people to bounce ideas off with modules aligned to what we were actually doing in the day job.

“It’s really important, too, that your employer is 100% behind you and I’ve had so much support from my line manager as well as the academics on the course. It’s really helped me to achieve and put me on the path to go much further in my career than I ever thought possible.”

Dr Paul Hampton, Head of Department - Built Environment at the University, said: “Degree Apprenticeships are relatively new at the University and I’m absolutely delighted that Ryan is one of the first Apprentices to graduate with an outstanding grade as well as achieving his RICS Chartership. He’s worked so hard and it’s an amazing achievement for him and for his employer who have invested in him.

“We pride ourselves on offering students industry experience and contact with professional bodies as part of our Apprenticeship programmes, helping them to understand the global significance of becoming a Chartered surveyor and how membership of the RICS provides a global acknowledgement of achievement.”

This year, the 14th annual National Apprenticeship Week (#NAW2021) ran from Monday 8th February through to Sunday 14th February 2021 with the theme ‘BUILD THE FUTURE’ and the University of Wolverhampton celebrated and showcased the impact Apprenticeships have on communities, local businesses and regional economies.