As BRAC Contracts continues to grow and take on increasingly interesting projects for a wide range of clients, we recently welcomed Jack Brewster to the role of Assistant Quantity Surveyor.
Fresh from a degree in Quantity Surveying at Reading University, Jack has already gained plenty of valuable experience, and here we asked him a few questions to find out more about his background and what he’s looking forward to as he settles into his role at BRAC.
My dad was a roofer, so I’ve been exposed to the construction sector from an early age and as I got older, I’d often help him at weekends. Then once I got to university, I found work as a laborer for several builders and roofers when I had time off.
I’ve always liked the construction industry – that’s partly due to its size and the diversity of both roles within it and different types of projects, and coupled with me being good at maths, I started to look at what areas of the sector would suit this strength. Then, once I discovered that quantity surveying provided the opportunity to travel and it wasn’t a desk-bound role I was set on studying this for my degree.
Aside from the independence and social aspect of being a student, my time at university studying confirmed that this was the career that I really wanted to follow. I was already quite confident about this, but the knowledge and skills that I gained through studying quantity surveying really cemented it.
Although my degree didn’t involve any work placements, the reason I ended up studying quantity surveying was because while I was at secondary school, we had the opportunity to do work experience.
Given my strength in maths, my uncle took me for a week at his engineering firm. This didn’t suit me so I did some further research and discovered that quantity surveying might suit me more. As a result, I did a week’s work experience at a construction firm shadowing a quantity surveyor and quickly found that I really enjoyed the work.
It was actually through my LinkedIn profile!
A recruiter reached out to me having viewed my profile and seen that I’d recently finished my degree and was ready to take the next step. He mentioned he’d found a lovely company looking to recruit an assistant quantity surveyor. An interview was set up and the rest is history!
Being able to use the skills and knowledge which I learnt while at university and putting them into practice is something I’m already enjoying. I also want to develop these skills further and learn more to help me progress further in my career.
“We had a tight programme for a technically challenging project and BRAC Contracts managed the project from start to finish meeting our deadlines and delivering an excellent end result. It was an enjoyable experience working with such professionals”.
Paul Holliday – Queensmead School
SPACE have contracted BRAC on a number of occasions, they are a pleasure to work with , highly professional, they care about the detail and offer a value for money service. The BRAC team have a positive, can-do attitude and find solutions to any challenge. We recommend them highly.
Anna Harding – Chief Executive SPACE
The quality of the works undertaken by BRAC for the new Woolwich Ferry Operations office has been most impressive, as has been the efforts by all the construction team to ensure an on schedule and on budget completion.
Mark Willbourn – Briggs Marine Contractors Ltd
