'A Week in the Life of a Quantity Surveyor' programme gives students a vital insight into VolkerFitzpatrick’s Tame Valley Viaduct project
For the fourth consecutive year, VolkerFitzpatrick’s Tame Valley Viaduct site team in Birmingham welcomed students from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to take part in, A Week in the Life of a Quantity Surveyor.
The three-day programme offered nearly 40 final-year Quantity Surveying students a unique opportunity to experience the realities of working on a major infrastructure project.
Led by Senior Surveyor Hayden Scarth, with support from Freddie Egerton, and the wider A38(M) team including Surveyors Ambah Ellis, Mark Nilsen, George Skelton, Joshua McCabe and Stakeholder and Social Value Manager Abigail Cattanach-Elsden, the programme combined university-based workshops with hands-on site visits. The initiative was designed to support students in their final-year dissertations by bridging the gap between academic theory and practical application.
During their time on site, students explored the complexities of strengthening the existing Tame Valley Viaduct. They observed the challenges of working within the viaduct’s four steel box girders and navigating temporary scaffolding installations in a live environment surrounded by roads, railways, businesses, and rivers.
A highlight of the experience was a visit to a mock-up box girder, where students witnessed an emergency rescue demonstration. This gave them a firsthand look at the safety procedures and spatial constraints involved in working within confined structures.
The workshops enabled students to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios. Activities included developing tender packs, conducting measurement exercises for groundwork and civil works, and learning how to manage compensation events and subcontractor instructions.
Hayden Scarth, Senior Surveyor at VolkerFitzpatrick commented, “The ‘Week in the Life of a Quantity Surveyor’ programme offered students a unique opportunity to connect with a knowledgeable and experienced team, while gaining a fresh and contemporary perspective on the construction industry. Our fantastic team — Ambah, Abbie and Mark — did an outstanding job planning and delivering the programme. Their efforts ensured everything ran smoothly and that students walked away with valuable insights to support them in their final year at university.”
Wayne Clarke, BSc Hons Lecturer at NTU’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, also commended "I'd like to once again thank the team for offering the A38(M) project to our full-time Quantity Surveying students. It’s a valuable opportunity for them to gain insight into the daily responsibilities of a Quantity Surveyor. The students consistently enjoy the experience—though some find the height of the scaffolding a bit challenging, especially when taking in the impressive views!"
With its continued success and growing impact, the programme is proving to be an invaluable bridge between education and industry — equipping future quantity surveyors with the insight and confidence to thrive in their careers.
Well done to everyone involved!
