Meet Sam Weller, Construction T Level student working at Kier Group

Want to know more about what it’s really like to study a T Level at Gloucestershire College? We’ve been catching up with second-year Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction student Sam Weller, who’s been completing his work placement at leading construction company, Kier.

What’s your course and what’s it about? 

I'm currently doing the new T-level course which consists of design, surveying and planning, along with work experience with Kier. 

We've been taught everything, from designing 3D buildings using software such as AutoCAD to actual drawing with pencil and paper. We've also been doing surveying with equipment such as a total station, and been on numerous site visits, which has been really beneficial. 

Why did you choose a T Level?  

I decided to study T Level because I was passionate about construction, and I feel like the course will offer me the best opportunity to gain experience in the classroom and learning on site in a real working environment.  

I've been on the Kier placement for about two years now and I've been placed on various different sites ranging from hospitals to secondary schools to the biggest project I've been involved in, the Gloucester Project, The Forum.  

Tell me about your experience on your T Level placement? 

The highlight of the whole course has been the work experience with Kier as I've been able to meet all the different people involved on site, gain experience of what they do day-to-day and see what their job consists of. I've seen the logistics and planning involved and how time is extremely important to keep towards deadlines and how the construction environment is fast-paced. 

The work experience is good because it lets you progress onto a variety of different job roles, like quantity surveying, civil engineering, anything in the construction environment that you need to learn about. Personally, I want to become a site manager and this experience has taught me a lot about what I'd need to know to become a site manager.  

It's just given me a really good real-life experience in the construction environment without having to be stuck in a classroom. I feel like it's best to gain experience of what you're going to be getting yourself into later in life, as it gives you the bigger picture.  

The best thing about this work placement is that it gives me the opportunity to move on to the Kier Degree Program, which would allow me to become a site manager. It'll give me the skills and qualifications needed. And I've got that from doing this work experience, which opened the door into further opportunity. 

Learn more about the T Levels available at GC today: