September 2017
Daniel Robson is one of the twelve new apprentices who joined us earlier this month. Based in our Newcastle office, Daniel is working towards a technical design apprenticeship.
Over the last four weeks, Daniel has climbed through trees at our residential induction week, been on site visits and spent time in the office learning about his role and the business. Read on to find out more about Daniel and why he chose Story Homes to start his career.
Why did you decide to do a technical design apprenticeship?
I completed an engineering apprenticeship with the Merchant Navy and, following that, I worked as an Engineer on navy ships for a year. I enjoyed the job but not the lifestyle – I was sometimes away from home for months on end. When I started to research what else I could do, civil engineering for a housebuilder came up as an obvious choice because many of the skills would be transferable.
What attracted you to Story Homes?
The first time I became aware of Story Homes was when I looked around one of the show homes at the Brierdene development in Backworth. I was blown away with the quality of the homes. When I began looking into apprenticeships with housebuilders, Story Homes stood out from the rest and by chance was advertising the technical design role at that exact time. I felt like it was meant to be!
How did you find the assessment centre you attended as part of our recruitment process?
I really enjoyed it. It was much more relaxed than previous assessment centres that I have attended. The tasks were good too – they enabled the candidates to shine and it was great to be able to meet some of the people who have ended up being my colleagues.
How have you found your first few weeks?
The induction week was great. I enjoyed meeting all of the other apprentices and we did some really fun activities which helped us to bond as a team. We are going to continue to meet up when we can.
I enjoyed my first few weeks in the office – everyone has been very welcoming and helpful. I already feel like I am settling into the business and I am quickly getting to grips with my new role. I have been out on lots of site visits which have helped to build my understanding about the business and our product.
How do you hope your career will progress?
I want to continue to learn as much as possible about the industry and become the best I possibly can at my trade. I feel inspired to work as hard as I can and build a long and successful career with Story Homes.
