LABC Trainee of the Year 2019 Chris Pratt talks about how his journey in building control started, his work experience and how his colleagues at Devon Building Control have helped him get to where he is today.
Chris Pratt
Video transcript
Tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Chris Pratt, I applied for the job at Devon Building Control as an apprentice back in October 2017. Since then I’ve been doing my training, just following the training programme in-house and during my college course and shadowing surveyors and developing my skills.
What attracted you to building control?
No two days are the same, you feel like you’re doing constructive work, finding pragmatic solutions to things and it really is quite… it can be a challenging job but it is rewarding at the same time and it’s not by any stretch of the imagination a dull or boring job.
What has the apprenticeship taught you about public service?
There are many ways in which you can interpret building regulations and building control and it’s about having a pragmatic view on stuff while still being able to justify your decisions.
Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge who helped you achieve your success?
I’d like to thank all the management team at Devon Building Control for nominating me for this award, mainly my line manager Scott Adams, who’s been instrumental in my training programme and having a structured programme for me when I started.
My colleagues, mainly Robin Hewitt, Sam Burke, Richard Sampson for taking me out onsite endlessly, you know, letting me shadow them and constantly giving me help and advice in the office. It is appreciated.
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