Camran Khan

My name is Camran Khan, I am 22 years old and was born in Southampton. I am an apprentice property surveyor. I am currently undertaking a level 2 customer service apprenticeship with Southampton City Council. I am currently 5 months into my apprenticeship. I have been aware of the possibility to be able to partake in an apprenticeship since the end of secondary school, however I wasn’t aware of what qualifications I could achieve (I didn’t know apprenticeships could also be at university level). There was advice in school but not as much as in comparison to higher education (university or college). I expected the apprenticeship to be similar to school or college. However, it’s the complete opposite. Being able to gain experience while learning on the job is such a beneficial factor. 

My current role is to carry out stock condition surveys. These are surveys of properties to ensure that the tenants are living in habitable conditions. In essence, I look at the longevity of the components within the property and put dates on them. I really enjoy my work simply because I feel as if I am helping people live a better life and contributing to growth within society. My line manager (David Tarrant) and mentor (Rob Wallace) have been an exceptional great help to me. Whenever I have been unsure of what to do or how to do a certain task, they’ve always been there to educate me on the correct method and procedure. They are very supportive and without them I would not be in the position I am in today. I love my job because everyone shares the same vison and is dedicated to the mission, to make the city a better place for everyone to live in. 

Before my apprenticeship, I was at the University of Portsmouth studying English language and Linguistics. I undertook this degree because I have a big passion for language and the way we communicate with one another. However, I realised that I was only pursuing the degree because it was what my teachers at school told me to do and I was quite good at it. It wasn’t something that I was passionate about and I wasn’t sure about what career I was going to pursue after completing the degree. I also had several friends who had finished their degrees but could not get jobs because they did not have the relative experience in that field. That worried me, I didn’t want to finish my degree to then go on and not get a graduate job. So, I then decided to drop out of university to look at apprenticeships. At first, my family were not sure that pursuing an apprenticeship was a good idea. However, when I was coming home and telling them all the things I was learning they were very glad and supportive of the decision I made.

After the completion of my apprenticeship, I want to stay with the council and go on to doing a HNC. I hope to stay in the property surveyor role and eventually progress to become a building surveyor. I would advise the younger generation who don’t really know what career they want to pursue to go for and progress within the business