Public sector apprenticeships: “It was honestly the best decision I ever made”
A student success story with Ramona Kiss
Average read time: 6 mins
03 June 2026
Ramona Kiss remembers the moment she read the official notification.
On the document sent by the University of the Built Environment, it stated she had received a first-class honours for her BSc in Building Surveying. Not only that, the University awarded her with the Best Overall Performance award.
She reflected on her journey from Hungary to England: recognising her strong mathematical abilities, completing a degree in Economics (specialising in the public sector), moving to the UK to improve her English, and securing a role in the Private Finance Initiative department at West Northamptonshire Council, supporting the maintenance of school buildings.
"I've always known that I wanted to work in a role where I could contribute to the society and support the people directly," Ramona said.
“I really wanted to work in a sector that contributes to and benefits the wider community, so when I had this opportunity to work with the schools, it felt like an obvious step for me."
Role of building surveyor for school building
Ramona is referring to what is the third largest Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schools contract in the UK, maintaining 44 educational establishments providing nursery, primary, secondary and sixth form education for students from across the county.
"Those buildings are heavily used and often aged buildings and they require constant maintenance and to ensure that they are safe and functional and fit for purpose.”
Apprenticeships are a vital part of how councils like West Northamptonshire build long-term resilience within their building surveying and estates functions.”
- Colin Barrett, Head of Works, Assets and Environment
At the time, Ramona didn't realise that the job she landed as a Senior Technical Services Officer was really about building surveying.
"My role comprises of contract administration and management, undertaking building surveys, client care, neighbourly disputes, land and tenant disputes - everything that actually a building surveyor does. So it really sparked my interest in the building surveying in the long term."
She added: "A building surveyor directly provides technical expertise on the building condition, and if the risks and the issues are identified early and the maintenance is prioritised that will affect spending, which will definitely be lower. This is especially important in education and community settings, where public money must be spent responsibly."
Apprenticeship Levy
While Ramona demonstrated strong capability, her employer and the University of the Built Environment supported her development through a public sector apprenticeship degree.
Like with all large unitary authorities, West Northamptonshire Council funds degree apprenticeships using a ringfenced Apprenticeship Levy - a payroll tax on large employers, enabling employees to gain a full degree while remaining in paid employment, without drawing on service budgets or student finance.
West Northamptonshire Council can be applauded for recognising in Ramona the passion and drive to implement effective client care, contract and performance management, building condition assessments and lifecycle planning, tenant-landlord and neighbourly disputes.
"It was my employer's idea," said Ramona of her apprenticeship degree. "They felt that gaining formal training would strengthen my understanding of the technical and regulatory aspects of the job and give me the deeper knowledge needed to deal with issues more effectively.
“Their belief that the qualification would enhance the quality of my work played a key part in encouraging me to pursue the degree."
Vital for long-term resilience
Apprenticeship degrees in the public sector is a win-win scenario, as Ramona's line manager, Colin Barrett, Head of Works, Assets and Environment, explained:
“Apprenticeships are a vital part of how councils like West Northamptonshire build long-term resilience within their building surveying and estates functions. Local authorities are operating in an increasingly competitive market where attracting and retaining qualified building surveyors is a significant challenge.
He added: "It is equally important that councils invest in developing talent from within their existing workforce. By supporting professional development and progression, we retain knowledge of our assets, our contracts, and our local context."
With soaring student debt in the headlines, the advantages of an apprenticeship's 'earn while you learn' model is clear. But it’s also a route that combines academic development with real world experience.
"For me, I found being in full time employment means you can apply new knowledge straight away. What it does is reinforces your understanding and makes the academic content far more practical and relevant."
She adds: "You also gain real, hands-on experience from day one. You develop that technical knowledge, which is so essential, especially in a profession like building surveying. I also developed confidence much faster because I was learning directly in the environment I would qualify into."
Degree accredited by RICS
The University of the Built Environment is highly regarded at the council, with several of Ramona's colleagues also studying with us. She highlights a key reason why she also chose to study here:
"The degree was accredited and delivered in partnership with RICS, which is so important as this made sure the qualification met the professional standards required for my career in building surveying.
"You are one of the few universities in the UK offering this route in such a flexible and accessible format, which for me was the ideal choice - the only choice - alongside full time work."
Indeed, it is the flexible and accessible format of the University's online delivery model that allowed her to complete the course.
“It was particularly helpful given the demands of my role and being able to access the study materials at all times or relisten the webinars in invaluable.”
"Also, because I'm from abroad, I travel quite a lot to see my family and I often studied while travelling, reviewing materials and attending webinars wherever possible.”
Now, with a first-class honours degree and a prestigious award to be proud of, Ramona has the following message to anyone in the public sector who would like to study a built environment-related degree:
“I would absolutely say go for it. If the opportunity is there, take it. There’s plenty of support along the way, and while it’s a long journey rather than a quick win, it’s completely worth it. I had doubts - I already had a degree, it wasn’t my first language - but it was honestly the best decision I ever made. It allowed me to grow in my profession and as a person too.”
Find out more about studying degree apprenticeships with us here:
Develop talent through apprenticeships
BSc (Hons) Building Surveying