Fife College student secures new career in construction industry

Monika Cook, from Kirkcaldy, is due to complete her course in June, but she has already secured a quantity surveying traineeship with local firm Napier CS Ltd.

Initially studying business and accounting at the college, she was inspired to start the quantity surveying course after learning more about what is one of the lesser-known construction professions.

From one-off houses to multi-million-pound capital projects, quantity surveyors make a huge contribution to the success of projects across the world.

Their role is to manage the budget and contractual relationships of a building project, from the initial project start up to the completion stage, which requires an in-depth understanding of the complete construction cycle.

Monika said: “I changed my direction of study because a friend who studied architectural technology at Fife College told me about the quantity surveying course on offer at the college and more about the profession.

“I still have the last semester of my HND to finish, but my employer is very understanding and is helping me complete the course.

"Starting college and changing course to quantity surveying was the best decision I’ve made.”

Ron Napier, managing director of Napier Construction Services Ltd, said: “It was important to us that we bring new people into the industry whilst allowing them to develop and continue in their knowledge building.

“It is refreshing that both the college and Monika herself were so easy to deal with during our time trying to get someone on board.”

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