Amber Kordakis
Construction
Carpentry & Joinery Apprenticeship
“I’ve really enjoyed my time at College. The facilities are excellent and it’s good to be able to use machinery and equipment that we don’t have access to onsite. The lecturers are great and because they’ve all come from industry they have a huge pool of knowledge. It’s really helpful to be able to talk through the work I’m doing in my day-to-day job with them. “
Amber has been studying at NESCol via her employer, Barratt Homes, and is close to completing her four year apprenticeship and becoming a time served joiner. Prior to her career in construction, Amber was an engineer in the oil & gas industry, but chose to return to training and education having always wanted to work with her hands and to have a better work/life balance.
Amber (31) has attended NESCol’s Altens Campus on a block release basis and has enjoyed the combination of work and study over the last few years. Amber said, “I’ve really enjoyed my time at College. The facilities are excellent and it’s good to be able to use machinery and equipment that we don’t have access to onsite. The lecturers are great and because they’ve all come from industry they have a huge pool of knowledge. It’s really helpful to be able to talk through the work I’m doing in my day-to-day job with them. “
Recently, Amber was delighted to be announced as the winner of the William Daniel Award, which requires students to design, draw and craft a piece of furniture of their choosing within a set timescale. Amber created a solitaire board in olive wood and accompanying inlayed box in purplewood and was presented with the award at a recent ceremony organised by Aberdeen’s Wrights and Coopers Incorporation and NESCol. The awards saw the city’s most skilled student craftspeople recognised at Trinity Hall, the home of the Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen.
Amber said, “I was surprised to find out that I’d won as the standard was really high and I was very impressed with my fellow students work. It was great to have my skills and craftsmanship acknowledged and it was a real confidence booster. “
Despite the number of women working in the construction trades still being relatively low, this hasn’t been an issue for Amber. “My experience has been really positive, both onsite with Barrat and during my time at College. I’m treated in exactly the same way as my male counterparts and the culture is friendly and supportive. “