14 February 2025
Sophie Dick Story - The Real Life Apprentice- You Are Hired
D-Drill & Sawing managing director Julie White is passionate about bringing through the next generation of workforce in the construction industry.
In a new feature, entitled The Real Life Apprentice – You Are Hired, Julie has been catching up with apprentices in the industry both within D-Drill and at other companies in the sector to show the breadth of careers on offer – with more than 2,000 jobs in the industry!
Sophie Dick joined Sisk as an apprentice site manager in 2019 and here she explains how she’s worked her way up in a supportive environment – after coming through an education system that didn’t always place enough value on apprenticeships.
Sophie said: “When I was younger, I wanted to be a vet, but you needed really amazing grades at school and college and I just didn’t have those.
“When I was at college, I decided I wanted to go down the apprenticeship route rather than going to university and, to be honest, it felt like you were being steered away from that. I hope it’s different now but, at the time, the emphasis really felt like it was on sending you to uni.
“My dad and my brothers were in the construction industry. My dad had a cladding roofing company, one of my brothers worked for him and my other brother was doing an engineering degree apprenticeship.
“I decided this was the route I wanted to go down and, at first, my dad wasn’t sure about it because of it being considered a ‘male-dominated’ industry, but my brothers said: ‘this is Sophie, she’ll be absolutely fine!’
“In the five-and-a-half years I have been in construction, I’ve never been made to feel anything other than completely welcome in the industry.
“I started on a construction management apprenticeship and, while I really enjoyed it, I asked the company if I could change and moved onto a civil engineering degree apprenticeship which is a five-year course and I’m in my fourth year now.
“The funny thing is, all through school and college I struggled to get the grades, but because I love what I am doing now, I’ve been passing my courses with a distinction which I think speaks volumes about how much I care about what I am doing.
“With my degree also comes the opportunity to complete my chartership too so it’s great to be working towards that too.
“I’ve also worked on a really great project – the new Isle of Man ferry terminal in Merseyside which is right next to the new Everton stadium, which is pretty special for me as an Everton supporter!
“But there have been so many different elements to the project which have given me an unbelievable grounding in the industry. It went from being a derelict piece of land to a project that is contributing to the regional economy in a big way.
“I really love how no two days are the same, I love meeting people and learning from them. I find the problem-solving skills that are involved in the industry absolutely mind-blowing. Of course, you always have plans but very often you have to improvise and find a solution to a problem and I really enjoy that.
“I’ve had some funny moments too. I was preparing for a presentation and as I went to sit back on my chair it wasn’t there and I fell on the floor thinking ‘I never want to get up!’
“It was just one of those moments where you want the world to swallow you up but everyone was great about it and shows the kind of atmosphere there is in construction.
“I’d encourage anyone to get into the industry because there are so many roles, so many opportunities and, if you find the right employer, the chance to change your path if the original one you took isn’t the right one for you.
“The traditional route of school, college, then uni wasn’t right for me – though it is for some people – and I feel fortunate to be in this position. My mum and dad are my role models because they’ve always worked hard and have instilled in us that you can achieve anything if you do that. Construction is a really good example of how true that is.”
Julie’s thoughts: “I actually got a little bit emotional during my conversation with Sophie and that’s not like me! But she spoke so passionately, thoughtfully and intelligently about construction that I was really proud that our industry is bringing through such fantastic young people – and we need more!
“I also loved the fact that many elements of Sophie’s story mirrored my own. I was inspired by my dad to come into construction and I also left school with few qualifications – just one GCSE in religious studies.
“But I’ve worked hard and have found my passion, which has led to where I am today; and that is why I am so keen to encourage more people like Sophie to come and find their future career in construction.
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