Richard Eakin - Senior Building Control Surveyor, Bradford Council
Name: Richard Eakin, Senior Building Control Surveyor, Bradford City Council
Apprenticeship: Level 6 BSc (Hons) Building Control Surveyor
Why did you choose an apprenticeship?
It allowed the time needed to complete the learning without compromising my ability to carry out my job
What has been the most rewarding part of your apprenticeship so far?
At 51, I thought my days of learning were in the past. I have enjoyed the learning and the assessments more than I thought I would. To achieve a level 6 qualification at this stage of life is very rewarding
What have you taken from the apprenticeship so far?
The learning is relevant to my job and what I've learnt is used daily. I've also taken networking possibilities of being in a cohort of similarly engaged people at different stages of their career
How have you progressed or plan to progress following your apprenticeship?
Further training. Building Control is a very wide topic with areas of specialism. Management has been very supportive of further training and I'm about to start a three-month course in Fire Principles
Would you recommend an Apprenticeship to others?
I 100% support apprenticeships, so much so that I've strongly encouraged my own children to look into apprenticeships, something my son has done and completed, and my daughter is considering. The ability to earn whilst earning is a huge advantage. Being able to put into practice what you've learnt whilst still learning is a definite positive and supports the learning process.