National Apprenticeship Week UK 5-11 February

At Chapman Taylor we encourage and support a learning culture and Apprenticeships combine working with studying, to gain skills and knowledge in a working environment.

At Chapman Taylor we encourage and support a learning culture and Apprenticeships combine working with studying, to gain skills and knowledge in a working environment.

Returning to University full-time to become fully qualified is a significant commitment so the Architecture Apprenticeship route can be another way to become a qualified Architect and at Chapman Taylor we support the Level 7 Architect Apprenticeship scheme.

National Apprenticeship Week takes place from 5 to 11 February 2024 in the UK. It brings together everyone passionate about apprenticeships to celebrate the value, benefits, and opportunities that they bring.

In doing this we proudly showcase 2 Chapman Taylor employees currently undertaking their apprenticeship with us and we took a moment to ask them about their experiences in choosing this learning route.

Benjamin Millsom and Carys McVicar are 2^nd and 3^rd year apprentices respectively and are both studying with the University of Cambridge.

Benjamin Millsom

Tell us a bit about your learning journey?

Structure of the course/ latest modules / how you choose to study/learn high points, low points

The apprenticeship course at Cambridge, to the best of my knowledge, operates differently from most apprenticeships I've encountered. Instead of attending university once a week, it follows a block structure, with approximately 10 days spent in Cambridge's college accommodation every three months. During each residential period, you collaborate on a module of work within a small group, presenting to your cohort, external guests, and architects on the final day. For me, this format allows focused dedication to university studies for 10 days, avoiding the challenge of juggling both work and studies within a short timeframe. This structure also means you have access to the student resources, workshop, studio, and libraries and means I’ve built stronger connections with the other students which in turn adds value to my learning as each student shares their unique skills and experiences of practice.

While the 10-day schedule is hectic, it remains engaging. The initial three years cover Part II and include master classes, lectures, supervisions, seminars, and studio work. Notably, guest lecturers, such as award-winning architects Proctor and Matthews lead our last module on master planning, but the type of modules vary.

Following these three years, apprentices have 6-12 months to complete the End Point Assessment and Part III of our training, eliminating the need to re-apply for the Part III course. Balancing work and university requires time to master, but minus a few tired nights, I've managed to maintain healthy balance and I’m beginning to see how the knowledge gained at university positively influences my professional work.

Tell us when you started your Apprenticeship and what project(s) are you currently working on?

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your apprenticeship so far?

I feel the most rewarding aspect is to see how much I’ve grown as a designer. I attribute a large part of that growth to the group work aspect; this collaboration is something a traditional masters don’t usually offer and has benefited me greatly. Also, the support of the tutors is invaluable, each have been extremely passionate about the modules they prepare for us, which in turn sparks my own passion. For instance, in one module we had to design a floating structure using grasshopper, this is a type of modelling programme and design I usually wouldn’t get exposure to, but the tutors were extremely supportive, facilitating a surprisingly smooth learning curve.

What have been some of the challenges you have had to face?

Personally, I feel one of the challenges at the start of the apprenticeship was being organised outside of the residentials and staying on top of work, so that it doesn’t build up. It can be difficult after the residentials to keep to a schedule as you feel more disconnected from the academic side of things or perhaps there are a few deadlines in the office. This can be stressful, however, over time I’ve learnt the correct balance, and utilised the allocated study leave days more effectively. fortunately, as well, I have supportive mentors / directors at work who understand my needs as an apprentice.

What are some of the things you like to do when you are not studying or working?

In the time I get for myself, I like to be very social; meeting up with friends, going to gigs, galleries, dance classes and just generally exploring the city of London or travelling abroad as much as I can. I also visit my family and friends back home in Swansea on occasion, mostly to make sure my dog doesn’t forget about me.

Tell us about design environment you work in, how has this inspired you?

The studio, people you work with, social side of the business

Working within the concept team has been an exciting and engaging experience for me, the skillset of my team never fails to inspire me, and I feel we are constantly sharing knowledge to help each other develop. Despite being in the early stages of my career, I appreciate the inclusive atmosphere that values everyone's input equally, lifting confidence and encouraging a free exchange of ideas.

Moreover, What I’ve learnt about how the initial stages of a project are vital for setting a standard and quality of architecture, and the team’s dedication to timeless and sustainable design speaks my own values as a designer and will hopefully follow me through my career.

Tell us about yourself?

BM – I grew up in a small town in East Anglia, one of those places that’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere. At school, I was pretty good at Maths and Science but I much preferred creative subjects like Art and Music. Seeing as you need quite a lot more hand-eye coordination (among other things) than I will ever possess to become an F1 driver, I thought that Architecture was a pretty good middle ground for what I could do and what I enjoyed. The fact that there weren’t any essays on the Undergraduate course also helped me make that choice!

Why is the Apprenticeship route the best for you?

BM - I signed up for the apprenticeship as the world was just coming out the first wave of COVID lockdowns. At the time, I was pretty much evenly split between the full-time MA course at Greenwich and the Apprenticeship that I eventually took with Cambridge. What realy swayed me though was the open day I (virtually) attended with the course leader, Timothy Brittin-Catlin. Not entirely unlike a cult, he had literally written the book on several of the topics in our first module – and he spoke about architecture with a knowledge and passion I have heard from very few people before or since.

On a more pragmatic level, I looked at the apprenticeship from the perspective of offering pretty much exactly what I could get from a full-time course, with the added benefits of three years of experience and a salary along the way. My experience of undergraduate was pretty much entirely detached from what I would end up doing at my day job, so the opportunity to try and weave work and study together also offered a lot of benefits for my development.

Tell us a bit about your learning journey?

BM - The course I’ve ended up on is a pretty clever reinterpretation of the Apprenticeship system. Instead of taking the traditional one day a week for study, these are saved up and taken in blocks of two weeks (what we call “intensives”). For these, everybody in the cohort gets the chance to go and stay at one of the University colleges in Cambridge (In Homerton we trust!) and utilise the university resources while the full-time students are away. Outside of these sessions, I pretty much get to live a normal life – with the odd extra day here and there to polish up the portfolio.

Now in my third year, I’ve survived most of the course. The modules themselves are largely group work, with five of the seven different projects completed in small teams. This is both a blessing and a curse – you get to work with people from a range of practices and as a result, with a range of skill sets. As the course progresses, we work through modules that largely mirror the RIBA work stages – from Brief Creation in the first year to the delivery of a technically-resolved and highly sustainable urban building at the end of the second year. I was lucky enough to be part of the second-year group to ever take the course, so have had the opportunity to work with nearly everyone in my very small year of intake. You do learn a lot in working with such a diverse group of people.

Tell us when you started your Apprenticeship and what project(s) are you currently working on?

BM - I started the Apprenticeship a little over a month after joining CTA, in September 2021. Throughout this time, I’ve worked on the delivery stages of the Friary Park development in Acton

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your apprenticeship so far?

BM – Honestly, it has probably been the time when I’ve been able to take the things we’ve learned on the course and apply them to the ‘real world’ of work. Our fourth module, technical façade design, taught me a lot about the thermal performance and U-values of building elements. Being able to then take this and go into live project meetings with specialist designers makes such a difference in how you view your work and the contributions you can make to the team.

What have been some of the challenges you have had to face?

BM – Due to the structure of the course, we often have an interim review after just a week of working on any given project – if nothing else to get feedback and a steer for where to work towards in the rest of the session. On a couple of occasions, we’ve had a pretty scathing review at the half-way point, which does create quite a lot of pressure to then turn it around for the final presentation. The positive of this is that it does drive you to a better end product, but the journey isn’t always the smoothest!

Tell us about the design environment you work in, how has this inspired you?

BM – I’m lucky to be working with a driven and diverse team, now split across the three UK studios. This has introduced me to a much wider range of expertise across the CTA group, and as a result, meant that I’ve never really stopped learning. Design delivery seemed really impenetrable at the start, but when things start to fall in place you can see how everything comes together to make a building work. Having experienced people around who take the time to show you how everything fits together (“no one was born knowing everything” is the team mantra) makes such a difference.

Carys McVicar

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your apprenticeship so far?

Honestly, it has probably been the time when I’ve been able to take the things we’ve learned on the course and apply them to the ‘real world’ of work. Our fourth module, technical façade design, taught me a lot about the thermal performance and U-values of building elements. Being able to then take this and go into live project meetings with specialist designers makes such a difference in how you view your work and the contributions you can make to the team.

Tell us about the design environment you work in, how has this inspired you?

I’m lucky to be working with a driven and diverse team, now split across the three UK studios. This has introduced me to a much wider range of expertise across the Chapman Taylor group, and as a result, meant that I’ve never really stopped learning. Design delivery seemed impenetrable at the start, but when things start to fall into place you can see how everything comes together to make a building work.

Carys McVicar

“Chapman Taylor is proud to be able to support this route to qualification by allowing students to work and learn amongst our highly skilled Architects and work environment. We have developed a commitment to learning this way and a route to help those looking to study via an apprenticeship. We hope to go on supporting students via apprenticeship for years to come.” Kester Withams – Head of People & Culture

For more information about National Apprenticeship Week go to nationalapprenticeshipweek.co.uk

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