Skip to content

Quantity Surveying Students Given Real-life Insight into Construction Industry

Fifty final-year Quantity Surveying students were invited by leading construction company VolkerFitzpatrick to attend 'A Week in the Life of a Quantity Surveyor'.

Quantity Surveying Students Attend VolkerFitzpatrick Event
NTU students joined representatives from VolkerFitzpatrick on the day

50 final year NTU students were invited by leading construction company VolkerFitzpatrick to A Week in the Life of a Quantity Surveyor — an event designed to provide real-life insight into the role of a Quantity Surveyor.

The event was led by three NTU graduates working for VolkerFitzpatrick: Hayden Scarth, Nick Lamb and James Cregan. Over the course of three days, the team provided Quantity Surveying students with workshops, site visits and set industry-related tasks.

On the first day, Hayden and Nick set the scene by talking about the local history around the A38(M) Aston Expressway Tame Valley Viaduct site, where VolkerFitzpatrick is currently strengthening the existing viaduct.

They explained to students about the importance of the project and described general surveying practices undertaken each day. Specifically, they discussed the change management process, application for payment and procurement procedures.

Speaking about his involvement meeting and hosting workshops for NTU students, Hayden Scarth said:

“We were approached by NTU after they identified that final year students who have had no industry experience were not generally achieving such high grades as those who had. The event not only provided the chance for students to meet an experienced and knowledgeable team, but also gave them a fresh, modern and current insight into the world of construction.”

Quantity Surveying Students Undertaking Measurement and Valuation Activities
NTU students undertook measurement and valuation activities at a workshop hosted by VolkerFitzpatrick

On the second day, Hayden presented an interactive workshop about procurement to a group of 25 students. This provided an opportunity for them to work in small groups and to compose an ‘invitation to tender’ for their own package of works.

It sparked plenty of conversation about what sort of documents, assumptions, requirements, and attendances may be required. Each team then presented their package to the rest of the group.

At the same time, the other 25 students joined Nick Lamb at the A38(M) site for a walking tour of the project and afterwards a change management workshop.

The workshop involved drafting and issuing contract notices, quantifying, and then valuing additional works making use of the students’ measurement skills learnt at university.

The next day both groups swapped over with the remaining 25 going to site and the rest attending the workshop.

Reflecting on what the experience meant for Quantity Surveying students, Lecturer Wayne Clarke said:

“We would like to thank the VolkerFitzpatrick team for supporting this course for us. The feedback from the students has been great and our attendance has been fantastic for the sessions, on site and also on campus. We appreciate the efforts that they have gone to assisting us on course material and also the logistics of getting to and around the site safely. I don’t believe we could have run the event any more smoothly, so a big thank you from us all at NTU.”

Amrit Sagoo, Head of NTU's Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying added:

“I want to say a big thank you to everyone for your tremendous assistance and invaluable input leading up to the event. Students gave very positive feedback. I hope that this event has instilled positive energy in our finalists and ignited a new passion for them to engage with their chosen career path while also embracing the challenges they face in their final year of studies. Your assistance is greatly appreciated, and excellence cannot be hidden!"

Published on 14 October 2022
  • Subject area: Architecture and civil engineering
  • Category: Current students; School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment