The future’s bright for Barrhead trainee surveyor

Former St Luke’s High pupil Sean Reilly was out of work when he was taken on as a site administrator for the project to build the new £17m faith schools joint campus in Newton Mearns.

The role was available with Heron Bros as part of the council’s community benefits scheme, which means suppliers winning any major contracts must commit to supporting the local area through community enhancement, training and employment opportunities, work placements, providing opportunities for schools, and more.

Sean was delighted to get the opportunity, and when the project finished in 2017 managed to secure a full-time position with Heron Bros and is now working towards a degree in quantity surveying.

The 26-year-old said: “When I was younger I did a Modern Apprenticeship with East Renfrewshire Council and when that finished I worked in several different administrative roles. After a couple of years I took on a fixed term contract and when that came to an end I was out of work for a month or so. During that time I’d registered with Work EastRen, East Renfrewshire’s employability service, and they managed to match my skills to the role at the faith schools joint campus as a site administrator. After school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and I’m delighted that I’ve now found a sense of direction within the construction industry and I could immediately see the opportunities available. As part of my performance review with Heron Bros it was suggested that I’d be suited to a quantity surveying role, so it’s now really exciting to be working towards this and I’m looking forward to progressing my career with Heron Bros.”

Sean has now completed his first year of studying towards a Batchelor of Science in quantity surveying and has a further three years before graduating.

Throughout this time, Sean will continue as a site administrator, gaining fantastic hands-on experience at a range of projects being delivered by Heron Bros.

Council Leader Tony Buchanan said: “We are committed to ensuring that the residents of East Renfrewshire benefit from any significant council investment and I am pleased that through our contract for the faith schools joint campus Sean was able to get a role with Heron Bros. It’s clear that Sean has grasped this opportunity with both hands and I’m delighted that he’s now gone on to secure full-time employment and is working towards his future career as a quantity surveyor.”

Heron Bros is also now delivering the council’s £24m project to build five new nurseries as part of the plan to almost double the amount of free early learning and childcare available for families by August 2020. This contract will also provide local job opportunities and work placements, and local residents should register with the Work EastRen team for more information.

Cathal Heron, Regional Director at Heron Bros, said: “Heron Bros is delighted to be working with East Renfrewshire Council once again to deliver their Early Learning Expansion 2020. Sean joined Heron Bros in 2016 as part of a Community Benefit package, in the delivery of the Council’s Faith Schools Joint Campus project. Heron Bros aim to develop all our talented employees into industry leading professionals. We believe in creating sustainable employment which is centred on ongoing progression. We look forward to working closely with our construction partners and East Renfrewshire Council to provide job opportunities and promote careers in construction with local schools and colleges.”