A BARRHEAD man is setting his sights on becoming a quantity surveyor following a successful stint as a site administrator.

Sean Reilly, 26, was out of work when he secured an administrative role as part of an East Renfrewshire Council contract for the project to build the new £17million faith schools joint campus in Newton Mearns.

The role, available with Heron Bros, was part of the council’s Community Benefits scheme, where suppliers winning any major contracts must commit to supporting the local area through employment opportunities and work placements.

Former St Luke’s High School pupil Sean was delighted to get the opportunity when the project finished, securing a full-time position and working towards a degree in quantity surveying.

He told the Barrhead News: “When I was younger, I did a Modern Apprenticeship with East Renfrewshire Council and, when that finished, I worked in several different administrative roles.

“After a couple of years, I took on a fixed-term contract and, when that came to an end, I was out of work for a month or so.

“During that time, I’d registered with Work EastRen – East Renfrewshire’s employability service – and they managed to match my skills to the role at the joint campus as a site administrator.

“After school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do but I’m delighted that I’ve now found a sense of direction within the construction industry and I could immediately see the opportunities available.

“As part of my performance review with Heron Bros, it was suggested that I’d be suited to a quantity surveying role, so it’s now really exciting to be working towards this and I’m looking forward to progressing my career with Heron Bros.”

Sean has now completed his first year of studying towards a BSc qualification in quantity surveying and has a further three years before graduating.

East Renfrewshire Council leader Tony Buchanan said: “We are committed to ensuring that the residents of East Renfrewshire benefit from any significant council investment and I am pleased that, through our contract for the joint campus, Sean was able to get a role with Heron Bros.

“It’s clear that Sean has grasped this opportunity with both hands."