Discussing a few of Arup’s most recent consultancy projects, Jason Yi reflected on the company’s success in supporting young people entering the healthcare space through its apprenticeship programs.
“We’re a people business, so everything we do is about our staff,” said Jason. “They’re the lifeblood of our company, so we need to hire the best staff, train them to a really high standard, and then retain them, which is absolutely crucial for us.
“In the private sector, it’s very difficult to recruit,” Jason continued. “Senior hires are really difficult to get. So our approach is to focus heavily on early careers. We have graduate training programs and we have annual intakes every year. They come in from universities, and we also arrange internships and work placements for school students. We take on GCSE and A-level students, and we’re very proud of our track record on that. We’ve won a lot of awards for that.
“We’ve been recognised by the Department of Education as being a top apprenticeship employer. Having apprentices in our company means we get to grow our own workforce. We upskill them in the areas that are most important through real project work, and that builds loyalty with the apprentice. They are supported from the outset of their career, and that means we’re more likely to retain them.
“What is a modern apprenticeship?” Jason asked. “Essentially, it’s a real job. It’s paid work. You are an employee of the company, so you have real experience, real responsibilities, and all the privileges that go with being an employee.
“You also get time off for learning. You get 20 per cent of your time off, so that’s either a day a week or you can do it in a block — one week every five weeks. And we have various appointed training providers. Here in Wales, we are working with five colleges and universities.
All of which, Jason explained, will lead to successful apprentices gaining a qualification — from the equivalent of two A-level passes to a Higher National Certificate or Higher National Diploma, up to a full bachelor’s or master’s degree. According to Jason, since 2013, Arup has successfully trained over 800 apprentices.
Jason discussed the process by which potential apprenticeships could apply, pointing out that it was a highly competitive process. He pointed out that for one level six electrical apprenticeship, Arup’s Cardiff branch received 106 applications for a single place.
An apprentice’s viewpoint
Jason introduced Kate Yeomans, who took to the stage to discuss her own apprenticeship journey. Kate reflected on the fact that, having completed her A-levels, she initially had “no idea” what she wanted to do next.
“It was a time of uncertainty,” Kate said. “I would have loved to travel, but COVID got in the way of that. I was keen to develop my education, and considered going to university full-time, but I didn’t want to be stuck with the student debt. I considered going straight into employment, but thought that being without a degree could limit me later on. I was really passionate about architecture — this is an area of study that I focused on in my ‘A’ levels. Equally, I was interested in biology and healthcare, but I’m really squeamish, so that limited that career path. And then I found out about apprenticeships.
“When I was at school, it was kind of drilled into us that you must go to university, and that apprenticeships are mainly targeted at boys and are engineering focused. But when I started to do a little bit of digging and found out about level six apprenticeships, it was a different story: a funded degree, no student debt, and work experience which would help me secure a job later down the line. A competitive wage throughout this, and 20 per cent time off the job in order to complete my degree. It sounded like a challenge that I would be really well-suited to.”
Kate explained: “Apprenticeships are delivered through a ‘three-pronged’ approach — development of the skills that you need, the knowledge gained through your degree course, and then development of the relevant behaviours. The apprenticeship route that I took was a five-year apprenticeship — the first four years consisting of the degree, and then the final year being the endpoint assessment and chartership.”
She said that she had “jumped straight in at the deep end”, working on the £45m Kenilworth School and Sixth Form construction project, which was completed in 2023 by contractor Morgan Sindall Construction in partnership with the Kenilworth Multi Academy Trust and Warwickshire County Council.
“I was lucky enough to see the completion of this project,” said Kate. “It was a really great insight into the sort of things I’d be working on, moving forwards.”
Kate explained that, partly due to the ongoing pandemic, she spent her one day per week of study on an online university course. This, she said, allowed her to be flexible, and to manage her time between her studies and the meetings and other obligations that came from the Kenilworth project. The course offered a comprehensive e-library of resources, along with webinars, and online lectures that, as they were recorded, could be viewed at a time that suited Kate’s schedule.
Learning from experience
Kate said that, particularly in the first year of her apprenticeship, working with various companies and professionals with varying levels of experience was something she found incredibly useful.
“We were able to share our lessons learned,” said Kate. “I think that really helped me develop. Year two was similar, so one day a week at university, as well as continuing to develop my project work, and then there was the addition of professional practice workshops. These were run by my university, and they would focus on a specific competency. We had them quarterly.
“Year two was when I was introduced to healthcare projects,” she explained. “The first healthcare project I worked on was the Queen’s Medical Center in Nottingham — a maternity and neonatal redevelopment. I was fascinated by how many stakeholders there are on a healthcare project.
“And working on a neonatal unit — working with neonatal babies — I found really interesting, and I think I fell in love with healthcare projects at that point; making sure that everything had been considered, that the families of people that were being treated [were being considered]. That was my first healthcare project.
“Year three of my apprenticeship [saw] the addition of tracking my structured training and CPD. The endpoint assessment at the end of my apprenticeship came with chartership, and in order to get to that point I needed to track everything that I was doing in work that linked to those competencies. I needed 400 days of structured training to get to that goal.”
Kate explained that a key aspect of her third year as an apprentice was the Nottingham Elective Hub Theatres project — a £35m surgical expansion at Nottingham City Hospital.
“That was an interesting project — to see the coordination between clinical stakeholders and infection control, and working in a constrained live hospital environment. It [involved the] demolition of a Victorian building and an old TB ward, and the refurbishment of a modular unit. Lots went into that project and I learned a lot from getting involved.”
Beyond the hypothetical
“In the final year of university I started to do more work-based research,” said Kate. “So, rather than hypothetical assignments, it was applying what I was learning at university directly to what I was doing in work.”
Kate explained that, when drafting her dissertation on early feasibility studies, she was then able to apply her real project work back into her academic studies.
“It was a surreal experience,” said Kate of her graduation in 2025. “Because it was an online university, it was the first time I actually met a lot of people on my course. [I had been] speaking to them in WhatsApp group chats and via Teams, but actually standing there and celebrating with them was really nice.”
Continuing her apprenticeship, Kate began work on a hospital project at Royal Glamorgan Hospital — an AHU Replacement and Ancillary Works Project which involved upgrades to theatres, the ICU, and the Coronary Care Unit, delivered in three distinct phases via an NEC4 ECC Option A Contract.
“This has been a really rewarding project,” she said, reflecting on how much she has enjoyed working in Wales.
“I’m currently in the final year of my apprenticeship,” Kate continued. “I’m hoping to achieve RCIS Chartership later this year, and that represents the endpoint assessment — everything that I’ve learned to get to this point.
“I’m also building my network and sharing my knowledge and experience with other early careers individuals at Arup. We have a network called the Early Careers Network and I’ve delivered presentations on imposter syndrome, sharing experience, and making people feel valued — [showing them] that they’re not on their own in this journey.
“So nearly there! And then hopefully that will lead into a career in project management focusing on healthcare. Thank you.”