Jone Da Cruz
Age: 25
Trade: Assistant Site Management
Borough: Hackney
Apprenticeship: HNC in Construction and the Built Environment
Background: Before starting his first apprenticeship with K10, Jone was working for as a trainee administrator. He explained that the wage wasn’t great and he was looking something more challenging. This is where Jone came to us and started his Level 2 Plumbing apprenticeship, he was placed with plumbing subcontractor Box and Charnock on Berkeley Homes’ Woodberry Down project in Hackney. Jone was outstanding during his time at Woodberry and his great relationship with Berkeley Homes resulted in him winning the Metro Newspaper’s apprentice of the month award in May 2015.
What happened next: From here, Jone started his second apprenticeship with K10 as a trainee Assistant Site Manager starting on site with Taylor Whimpey at Chobham Manor as part of their prestigious LLDC project Chobham Manor.
During the Apprenticeship: Jone was extremely enthusiastic about learning how to manage a project and he settled into the role straight away. He said ‘As I previously studied a trade, I was excited because not only was I putting into practice what I had learned over the past year but I was learning the managerial side of construction here and this was new and different and interested me a lot. I enjoyed learning different things from the different tradesmen, managing sub-contractors, looking at drawings and solving problems which all came along with my role. I enjoyed working with the new residents of the homes as well, I was the first person they would meet when moving into their new properties and I really liked that I was a part of that.’
‘Taylor Wimpey was great from the moment I started on site with them. They are such a brilliant team to work for, right from the start they were very supportive and helped to build my confidence. They gave me responsibilities that even I thought were beyond my own capability, but they trusted me and I was able to do it. Working in the team I did, with Sean Quinn especially, helped me to improve my skills and knowledge in what I was doing. I was supported when I wanted to be an ambassador of Taylor Wimpey, this enabled me to share my story and experiences with others that are also looking for something to get into in the future and promote apprenticeships. I really enjoyed doing my HNC as it was more challenging than my level 2 apprenticeship. If I have any advice for anyone, it is to find an apprenticeship as soon as you can in what you want to do and just go for it. If you find out it’s not for you, that’s fine, do something else.’
‘K10 really go beyond expectations and put themselves out there to find this role for me. I wanted to start my own business eventually and K10 found me the role that will put me in the right direction to do this. K10 changed my life. I had no contacts or confidence and they gave me the push to really get out there and meet new industry contacts, learn more about construction in general and gain the confidence I have to be in the position I am now.’
After the Apprenticeship: Jone has since been taken on direct by Taylor Wimpey as a full-time Assistant Site Manager earning at least four times his original apprenticeship salary.
