Yahya Wasiem from London South East Colleges Bromley graduated from the Career Ready programme in 2021. Here, he shares how the support from his mentor Halle alongside his internship at Turner & Towsend boosted his confidence and helped kickstart his career in construction.

Developing workplace skills with my mentor

Before I joined Career Ready, I already knew that I wanted to go into the construction industry but I didn’t know where to start. I was also quite shy and lacked confidence when speaking to new people.

Throughout programme I was supported by my mentor, Halle from Turner & Townsend. She helped me develop practical skills like writing a CV and interview technique. And because she worked for a construction company, I found it really interesting to hear about her role and what projects she was working on day-to-day.

I would say that I’m a changed man because of my internship at Turner & Townsend.

A transformational experience

During my paid internship at Turner & Townsend I worked on the HS2 project and, at the end of the four weeks, presented to the team about the project and how to engage young people with the construction industry.

I used to find communicating with others very difficult and would really struggle with interviews, but this experience helped me develop my communication and team working skills which has really boosted my confidence.

Industry insights

The experience I had and the people I spoke to during my internship helped me understand what opportunities were available to me. I got a real-life insight into working for a construction firm and what they did on a day-to-day basis – learning that no two days were ever the same.

The internship furthered my interest in becoming a Construction Manager and helped me understand how becoming an apprentice could help me get there, having initially been set on going to university.

A future at Turner & Townsend

Seeing how much passion Halle had for her job at Turner & Townsend and having the chance to work there inspired me to want to work there too. Halle helped me grow as an individual and now, because of her support and everything I learned during the Career Ready programme, I am a Trainee Cost Manager at Turner & Townsend.

If it weren’t for the support of my mentor Halle and the experience of an internship at Turner & Townsend I would not be where I am today. The whole process was amazing. After having such a positive experience with Career Ready I would love to be a mentor in the future.

Get involved today and help more young people like Yahya kickstart their futures.