Senior Quantity Surveyor Jasmine Jarman considers the many benefits of her Senior Leadership Masters in Business Administration (MBA) apprenticeship course.
Since joining Norse as a Quantity Surveyor in 2018, and progressing to Senior Quantity Surveyor in 2019, Jasmine has been involved in a variety of fascinating projects, ranging from libraries and schools to residential mixed use developments.
But, she stresses, since starting her MBA, the opportunities that have opened to her have been even more phenomenal.
Now she is the Joint Venture Reset Project Manager for the transitional phase of the London Borough of Waltham Forest Joint Venture and is using everything she has learned to support the management team.
Once she has completed her Chartered Managers Accreditation, she hopes to continue to build her skills, while moving towards a future in Organisation Management.
Jasmine explains why the apprenticeship has been such an important step for her:
Why did you choose to complete an apprenticeship?
I have always been ambitious, keen to learn and eager to develop myself and further my career.
Quantity surveying fulfilled my passion for construction, but I was looking for opportunities to grow my management skills and understanding of organisational management.
When joining Norse, I knew this was a company that I wanted to develop within, while also being part of any future growth and change.
The MBA apprenticeship met both those needs for me and meant I could also support the organisation in its development when needed.
What have been the biggest benefits of your apprenticeship?
Not only have I had the opportunity to learn, but the apprenticeship has also given me practical experience.
I am not the strongest academically, but the course was designed around my everyday working life. You don’t learn from a textbook, you gain skills and knowledge as you work and, for me, that meant being able to apply my new skills the very next day at work.
Not only do I feel like I have learned and benefitted more from the course, but I can see the impact my course has had in my everyday working environment – and this gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment.
What have been the highlights of the apprenticeship for you?
The opportunities that have arisen and seeing the positive impact of what I have learned when it is applied in the workplace.
I have also thoroughly enjoyed meeting people, at different stages in their career and in very varied working environments, and learning from them, and taking this experience away with me to help further improve our own organisation.
Were you well supported throughout?
Yes, the support and encouragement from my mentors has been greatly appreciated. Firstly, for the opportunity to fulfil my ambitions, but also for the everyday support.
Working with the different Norse teams has enabled me to build my understanding in a working environment, especially when something is difficult to grasp in a classroom setting.
What advice would you give to someone else considering an apprenticeship?
Do it! If the opportunity is there and you want to learn, grab it with both hands! There will be so much support available if needed – and you shouldn’t hesitate to use it.
Everyone wants to see you succeed, so if you don’t fully understand something that you have learned in the classroom, then speak to your colleagues or your mentor and look at how that information is applied within the workplace. You will gain so much more from the course this way, than by simply relying on the books.
Also, if there is something at work that you want to further understand, speak to your educators too. They will help you to gain that understanding, which in turn will help to achieve so much more at work.
Sum up your apprenticeship experience in three words:
Fantastic, future, growth.
