Cameron has both a BSc and MSc in Geography and Geosciences and spent the last three years at the University of Tulsa, United States, on a MSc Scholarship following a successful three years running at Durham University.

He has joined the Solomons apprenticeship programme as an Assistant Quantity Surveyor and will be based at our headquarters in Newton-le-Willows as part of the North West team.

How have you found it so far?
It’s been great, so far. When you listen to the owners Kerry and Dom Doig, you can see their passion for Quantity Surveying, and it ignites your passion.

Tell us more about what you did before joining the apprenticeship programme?
I’ve been a student for the last six years. I did an undergraduate degree in Geography at Durham University. I have a passion for track and cross country running and in my second year I was offered a sports scholarship by the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. I was tempted by the coaching opportunities over there and couldn’t turn it down. I got my master’s degree paid for as part of the scholarship, which was incredible! I got back to the UK in mid-June this year and panic struck – “I need to get a job now!” I was applying for all sorts of jobs, mainly related to environmental studies, but then I came across the advert for this apprenticeship opportunity. It was a really refreshing advert. It was a kind of sliding door kind of moment for me.

Why Quantity Surveying?
I must admit, I didn’t know what a Quantity Surveyor was until I read the advert. I knew it was quite complex but having arrived here and listened to the perspectives of different people at Solomons, there’s so much to it. It’s driven home how diverse the role is. It’s an exciting prospect as I think I’m very adaptable.

Why Solomons?
The thing that attracted me to Solomons was the projects we’re working on in the renewable energy space. That’s something I’d be particularly proud to be involved with.

Now you’ve started the apprenticeship, where do you think you’ll get, do you have any targets?
Quantity Surveying is all new to me, so I’m taking things one step at a time. The course is going to be quite an intense process, and a steep learning curve. In terms of a long-term target, I want to be able to point to something in 10 years’ time and be proud to say I worked on that – and have made a positive imprint on the built environment. That would be a target for me.

What do you do in your spare time?
Plenty of running obviously, although I’m not doing as much as I was in the States, which was pretty intense. I’m involved with Warrington Athletics Club and hope I can continue there. Other than that, nothing too much out of the ordinary really. Travelling around. Life stuff!