Founded in 1975 and currently celebrating their 50th anniversary, Monaghans is a multidisciplinary construction consultancy that operates across the UK and internationally.

Every year they recruit apprentices through our quantity surveyor higher degree apprenticeship. After completing his apprenticeship in 2022, Alex Smith is now an Associate Director at the company and mentors the latest generation. We spoke to him about why higher degree apprenticeships are so important to Monaghans.

How do you use apprenticeships at Monaghans?

“We take on three or four new apprentices every year, mostly school leavers. We go to careers events at sixth forms and colleges to raise awareness of the degree apprenticeship and we always have lots of interest and applications.

“We’ve been working with Sheffield Hallam on recruitment for over 20 years and there is a culture of apprenticeships at Monaghans. A lot of our senior management team were apprentices to start with.”

How do apprenticeships help you tackle recruitment challenges facing the construction sector?

“There is a skills shortage in the wider construction sector, combined with an ageing workforce. But that’s not been a problem for us because of our well-established apprenticeship programme.

“If you hire people who've worked somewhere else, they have to relearn how to work in our culture. With apprentices we can instil it really early in them. They learn the business our way from the start, and they’re very engaged and keen to learn. They buy into what we’re trying to do so they tend to stay on with the company after they’ve graduated. We have a young office as a result.”

What do apprenticeships bring to your business?

“Our apprentices are gaining the latest knowledge from Sheffield Hallam as part of their course, so they’re ready to hit the ground running.

“As a company we have been leading on the new regulations for the sector brought in after the Grenfell disaster. Our apprentices are getting the latest teaching from Sheffield Hallam so they’re up to date with the current knowledge, which is a big benefit to us.

“They also learn about technology like AI, and in many cases we end up learning from the apprentices about the latest innovations. Through the connections they make with other degree apprentices they can share ideas and new ways of working with us from across the sector.”

What advantages do degree apprenticeships have over traditional recruitment paths?

“The main advantage for the apprentice is the balance between on-the-job learning and university studies which gives them the best of both worlds.

“As a business, we have taken students on placement years in the past, but we don’t want to lose people after twelve months. We integrate them so quickly that they become an important part of the business, and losing them leaves a resource gap for us. With apprentices, we can build a good relationship and then keep them on.”

How has your own apprenticeship affected your career progression?

“When I left school in 2017 I had the choice of doing a full-time degree or the apprenticeship with Monaghans. I chose the apprenticeship for the real-world experience. I knew that by the time I graduated I would be in a better place in my career, with five years’ experience under my belt.

“I graduated in 2022 and started working towards my chartership, all while working at Monaghans. My tutor from Sheffield Hallam continued to support my studies and I got some promotions at work. Then in 2024 I achieved my chartership and became an Associate Director at Monaghans. This was 100% down to the on-the-job learning I had experienced on my apprenticeship.

“Now I mentor the new apprentices, which is very rewarding. I know how tough it is balancing work and study so I understand their experience and I can pass on my knowledge to them.”

What successes have your degree apprentices helped you achieve?

“Our apprentices deliver a lot of work for our clients. After five years they're often responsible for running their own big accounts. A lot of our senior team were apprentices originally — I'm not a one-off.”

Would you recommend apprenticeships at Sheffield Hallam to other businesses?

“It's a no-brainer for me — why wouldn't you? At Monaghans we have done it for years and it works so well. The opportunities that follow an apprenticeship are vast. At the end you have five years’ experience, a degree, you’re working towards chartership, you have no debt and five years of salary behind you.

“Sheffield Hallam is a great partner. They have the latest knowledge. The course leader is straight out of industry. And they have a massive support system in place for the company and the apprentices.

“As a business, we have no struggles recruiting new staff because of the apprenticeships. With a bit of investment of time and cost, it’s well worth it.”