Construction Quantity Surveyor Degree Apprenticeship | Quantity Surveying (Construction) BSc (Hons)
4 years national part time delivery | September start

The programme runs throughout the calendar year in three Semesters (Sep to Dec, Jan to Apr, May to Aug).

Each year, Apprentices will typically take two modules in Semesters 1 and 2, and one module in Semester 3.  Most modules take place over an 11-week period with a single summative assessment in Week 12 or 13, followed by a break of a few weeks before the next Semester starts.  The Professional Research Project module stretches over three Semesters (May of Year 3 to Apr of Year 4), and is worth 40 credits, while all other modules are contained within one Semester and are worth 20 credits. 

The twelve technical modules focus on the Knowledge and Skills required by the Apprenticeship Standard.  Topics include Finance and Accounting, Health and Safety, Conflict Avoidance, Sustainability, Digital Built Environment, Contract Practice, Construction Technology, Procurement and Tendering, Measurement and Costing, Financial Control, Risk Management, Commercial Management and Planning.

The Academic Practice module introduces the academic skills that will be applied throughout the rest of the programme.  The three Professional Practice modules focus on the Behaviours required by the Apprenticeship Standards and enabling Apprentices to recognise and evidence all of the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours that they develop over the course of their Apprenticeship.  These modules particularly prepare Apprentices for their End Point Assessment, and also support them in choosing and working towards the most appropriate professional qualification for them.

Each module (with the exception of the Professional Research Project) includes one piece of summative assessment including a range of types such as written reports, poster presentations, oral presentations with visual aids, annotated spreadsheets, drawings, online open book timed assessments, and portfolios of work.

Full module information for the programme is available below.

End Point Assessment

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (2020) state that - Rigorous, robust and independent End Point Assessment (EPA) gives employers confidence that apprentices can actually perform in the occupation they have been trained in and can demonstrate the duties, and knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the occupational standard. For details of the current EPA for your standard please consult the IFATE Apprenticeship standards / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education webpage here.

This apprenticeship normally takes 4 years part-time, followed by the endpoint assessment which will typically be completed within 3-12 months. Full details are available on the IFATE website.

In studying with Northumbria University, apprentices will be taught by a range of qualified professionals across the Quantity Surveying and Construction areas, with relevant knowledge and experience in both practice and academia in a learning environment that will assist in developing a research rich, practice-based experience, gradually improving critical abilities, general problem-solving skills and lay a foundation for continued self-improvement and life-long learning.

With apprentices employed throughout the UK, the programme is primarily delivered by online sessions and resources, with the opportunity for some face-to-face interaction at Northumbria University or regional hubs. This programme has been designed to suit a national market with the lecture content delivered online.  When it is safe to do so there will be no more than 3 days of attendance per calendar year at regional hubs across the UK.  This allows the learner to comfortably tie together the university education experience with the realities of working life.  Our current learners are from a broad geographical spread from Plymouth to Cumbria to Berwick. This creates an incredible overview of the industry nationally.

Apprentices will gain a theoretical understanding of the topics through live (online or face-to-face) university sessions and online resources such as recorded lectures, videocasts, podcasts, electronic books, journal articles and websites.

Most of the Degree Apprentices’ learning will be in the workplace. Involvement in commercial quantity surveying tasks will enable Apprentices to put the theory into context, thereby cementing understanding. For each module, the apprentice will develop a Module Learning Plan designed to achieve the Module Learning Outcomes via a series of directed workplace learning activities, such as shadowing a colleague, visiting a site or producing a poster. A guidance document will be provided by the university that outlines the principles of workplace learning and provides examples of a large and diverse range of potential workplace learning activities.

In partnership with Northumbria University, the employer will support the apprentice at work to achieve their apprenticeship. Whilst studying, the apprentice will be required to work full-time, for at least 30 hours a week, and will be supported through learning at work to achieve the requirements of the apprenticeship standard.

The apprentice must be employed in a full-time paid quantity surveying role and must be allowed to spend at least 20% of their normal working hours in activities related to their learning, throughout the calendar year, and allowing for at least 5.6 weeks of statutory and annual leave.

The employer will appoint a workplace mentor for each apprentice, typically their Line Manager, whose role is to support the apprentice in identifying and securing opportunities for development and evidencing the application of learning in the workplace to meet the requirements of the Apprenticeship Standard. 

For each academic module, the workplace mentor is expected to support the apprentice in developing their Module Learning Plan. This is a series of directed workplace learning activities designed to achieve the module learning outcomes. Apprentices will also be supported by a workplace coach, appointed by the University, who will meet with the apprentice and their workplace mentor at least three times per year to review their progress and discuss any additional support needs.

The employer covers all tuition fees for the apprentice, the total payment required depends on the organisation’s apprenticeship levy status.

Apprentices studying an apprenticeship do not pay any tuition fees, however, as they are in full-time employment they do not have student status and therefore are not entitled to apply for student finance. 

The EPA will be partly representative of the review process required for chartered status of industry recognised institutions such as the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), so Apprentices will be ideally placed to also apply for professional qualification. Additional preparation and payment would be required for this. More information is available at the CICES Membership and RICS APC websites.

To discuss the fees for this apprenticeship in detail or to explore signing an agreement with the university, complete the enquiry form below and someone from our Business and Enterprise team will be in touch shortly.

We guide both employer and apprentice through the application and funding process and will be on hand to assist you during the apprenticeship journey.

To start the application process for either current employees or new recruits contact our Business and Enterprise team today by email or complete our online enquiry form. Alternatively, you can call 0191 215 6300.

All apprentices are required to be in full-time employment to study the Construction Quantity Surveying Degree Apprenticeship. If you are interested in studying this apprenticeship and you are in current full-time employment complete our online enquiry form.

If you are not in full-time employment but would like to study this apprenticeship programme, visit our vacancies page for information on all apprenticeship opportunities currently available.

Skills Assessment

Before entry onto the programme, all Apprenticeship applicants must complete an Initial Skills Assessment which maps their prior knowledge against the apprenticeship standard. This is part of the University’s regulatory funding obligations. The purpose of an apprenticeship is to provide new learning and the skills assessment will be used to establish whether we need to tailor your programme in any way to account for your previous qualifications or experience. It also provides a benchmark against which to map your progress on the programme.