Construction Miles

Miles tells us his story:

The school that I went to didn’t offer GCSE levels but instead entry levels only. I managed to obtain entry level 3 in English and Maths which is the highest I could get however these qualifications are not good enough to get a place at college or university which basically meant I felt I had to go into the retail sector because this was the only area where I could get a job with my qualifications. I worked in retail for four years and then was suddenly made redundant just before Christmas.

I had found this job quite frustrating because the hours are quite limited – you can’t easily get overtime or do more. And when I have a lot of energy and I want to be able to exert myself more, those kinds of jobs just don’t give me the span in which I can. I think the construction industry allows that very much more so. As someone who is in his 20s and fairly fit I feel like I have the potential to make more of myself within the time frame. I believe that the more effort you put in the more you can actually grow within the construction industry.

When I went to the job centre to seek help to find a new job I was really focused on finding something which would be more physical – I didn’t want to end up with desk job. The woman at the centre suggested labouring and I was really keen but the issue was that I didn’t have a CSCS card which you need to work on any construction site. But she said it was covered by the council and I was like yes please that would be genuinely class.

So far I have successfully passed my bricklaying and tiling courses, and my Health & Safety Level 1 certificate as well as my CSCS card. I am currently doing the plastering course. It’s quite an interesting trade to learn because there is a lot of complexity to it and you can easily get the mix wrong. You definitely won’t become a professional in a week but over time there is potential to master it. By doing all three courses I will get a qualification from City & Guilds which massively opens doors within the construction industry.

My plans for the future are to definitely to stay out of going back to retail, been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I’d like to get into labouring and work alongside other contractors where I can try my hand at everything there is and just see what takes my fancy. And then from there potentially looking to go into further education whether it’s college or university so that I can gain more qualifications. Eventually it would be nice to be self-employed and make something for myself. That’s the exciting future I’m looking at.

I would 100% recommend these courses, and there are so many doors opened with this qualification. You would be mad to turn down such an opportunity that is free. The tutors are genuinely really solid people, they are very easy to get on with and very down to earth.  The teaching is spot on. We learnt bricklaying in a single day which I was really worried about but they took all the anxiety away and it was honestly a breeze.

Miles Hames
Course: In2Construction and Plastering upgrade
Trainer: Flower Skills