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From construction to further education: meet the quantity surveyor building futures
After 16 years in the construction industry, a chance encounter led Nikki Davison to a career teaching in FE – and she hasn’t looked back
Nikki Davison never planned to teach in further education (FE). The 39-year-old spent the first 16 years of her career in the construction industry – initially as a quantity surveyor (QS) for a major construction company, then as a QS/estimator for a joinery business.
It was a chance encounter while still working full-time as a QS/estimator that set her on a new career path. She got chatting to a National Vocational Qualification assessor, who was there to monitor her apprentice; the assessor made FE sound exciting, mentioning that Leeds college of building was recruiting for new teachers. “At first I thought it seemed too daunting – I had no experience and didn’t know where to start – but she sent me a link about the programme and how to apply to become an FE teacher and it went from there.”
Davison’s industry experience gives her real-world references for her students
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