A Bury College student is beginning a successful career in Civil Engineering with Cheetham Hill Construction, after impressing on his summer placement.

Sam Ellithorn, 19, originally worked with Cheetham Hill Construction in 2020, as part of his Level 3 Mechanical Engineering course at Bury College. He began a 45-day placement that was unfortunately cut short by COVID-19. He was then offered a 3-month summer work placement, while still studying at Bury College. Sam impressed his colleagues at CHC so much that after the placement he was offered a Higher Level Apprenticeship Degree at University of Salford in Civil Engineering, and has now completed his first year. Sam is now working in Birmingham on a section of the HS2 project, the largest infrastructure project in Europe.

The former Woodhey High School student works as an engineer onsite, and helps with weekly surveys, measuring the amount of concrete excavated, and helping with the construction of haul roads, which will be used to assist with future maintenance. Sam spends one day a week learning at university, and the rest of his week is spent gaining hands-on experience with CHC.

Sam, from Ramsbottom, enjoys both sides of his apprenticeship, either at university or on the job. He said, “I have really enjoyed the whole experience, being onsite day to day and being involved in projects. Seeing large projects and how they are constructed from the ground up is really interesting. We work a lot with client engineers, so I get to see how what we are doing helps them in the future, and learn about what they are going to do once we have completed our work.”

Sam says that his course at Bury College helped him prepare for the working world. His teamwork skills, developed by working with other students while at college, have been very useful in his job, and he uses his computer design work experience every day.

Robert Bishop, Contracts Manager at Cheetham Hill Construction, said, “Sam has been a great addition to our team. He has an admirable work ethic, with a proactive, ‘can do’ attitude and is willing to take on any task requested of him. He is well liked by his colleagues and quickly builds relationships with our client representatives through his mature approach to work. Sam is not afraid to ask for advice from his Line Managers and this attitude has seen him progress well in the short time that he has been with us. If he continues in this manner and chooses this career path, he will have a great future with CHC.”

Sam plans to continue to progress in his apprenticeship, and eventually hopes to become either a Site Manager. He said, “My apprenticeship has been really helpful. Before I started I had no idea really what I wanted to do but it has helped open my eyes to the industry.”

Chris Mayoh, Head of Curriculum for Engineering, has nothing but praise for Sam. He said, “Cheetham Hill Construction is very supportive in helping Bury College Engineering students’ to gain hands-on experience within Civil Engineering sites, often leading to apprenticeship opportunities. Since leaving Bury College in 2020, Sam has clearly settled into the Civil Engineering role with great success, he is now well on the way to becoming an accomplished Civil Engineer with lots of opportunities ahead of him. I am sure Sam will continue to gain experience and make every success of his career within Cheetham Hill Construction. Keep up the good work Sam!“

Cheetham Hill Construction works with Bury College to help give students an insight into the varying career paths around Civil Engineering, including:

  • Quantity Surveying
  • Environmental Management
  • Accountancy
  • Civil Engineering
  • Groundworking
  • Operating Plant
  • Health and Safety
  • Procurement
  • Business Administration

You can find both Bury College and Cheetham Hill Construction at the Bury Council Careers Event at Castle Leisure Centre on Wednesday 13th October.