08 Feb 2024

Getting a foot in the door with T Levels

This National Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with our T Level work placement, Dan Hogben, who shared his route into the construction industry working on our Passivhaus scheme at Burnholme Green on behalf of City of York Council.

Having turned his hand to a number of on-site jobs with Caddick Construction over the last year, 20-year-old Dan Hogben is now gearing up for his T-Level exams next month, as he looks ahead to a career in engineering.

Dan comments: “Studying for a T-level course in Construction, Design & Surveying has opened up so many doors, and given me the proper understanding for all of the jobs available on a construction site - from engineering and site management, through to quantity surveying." I’ve really enjoyed working with Caddick alongside my course at York College, and I hope to continue working like this in the coming years.

“Actually being on-site and shadowing different teams has made a huge difference to my understanding of each role, and as a result, it's been a great early route into the industry that has helped me decide what sectors i'm most interested in. I’ve always had an interest in engineering and could see myself going down that route, so when it came to thinking about college I decided to start an engineering A Level course. When exam season rolled around in my first year of college, I was taken into hospital to have a major organ transplant, which disrupted my course.”

“Once I’d recovered, I was keen to get things back on track and that’s when I discovered the T-Level Construction, Design, and Surveying course at York College. I started in November 2022, working one day a week with Caddick and in the classroom the rest of the time. In my second year, this went up to two days a week on-site, and I absolutely loved it. Working with the teams at Burnholme Green, a Passivhaus development, has been great. Because every team is so different, you’re adapting to new methods and communication styles constantly, which has been the best learning curve.”

“I finished my course’s allocated work placement hours a few months ago, and since then Caddick invited me to stay on-site in a paid position while I finish my course, which has meant I’m earning and learning at the same time. Once my course is over in the spring, I’d love to find the opportunity to study for a degree apprenticeship. In the last few weeks of my placement, I have really enjoyed shadowing the site engineer at Burnholme Green. Working as a site engineer and studying for a degree in civil engineering would be my next goal.”