Jack Bowden
Construction Management Apprentice (Person in Charge – PIC) | Balfour Beatty
Long Itchington South Portal HS2
My role in a few words
I work as a Person in Charge (PIC) Construction Manager, taking day-to-day responsibility for site operations. This includes leading safe delivery on site, coordinating subcontractors, managing logistics, and ensuring key work packages are delivered to programme and HS2 standards.
Before my apprenticeship
Before starting my apprenticeship, I completed a Level 3 BTEC in Construction and the Built Environment and gained several hundred hours of industry work experience. This gave me strong practical site knowledge and an understanding of construction processes, health and safety, and project delivery.
Why I chose this path
My interest in Balfour Beatty came through both family connections and early exposure to the business. My mum worked for the company, which gave me an insight into the organisation and the opportunities available. I also completed multiple work experience placements with Balfour Beatty, which strengthened my interest further. The scale, complexity and importance of the projects, along with the professionalism and reputation of the business, made it the right place for me to build my career.
What I enjoy most
The most exciting part of my role is acting as a PIC Construction Manager with responsibility for live site operations and delivery. I enjoy leading site activities, managing subcontractors, coordinating logistics, and being involved in client and HS2 visits. I also really value the team environment on site – building strong relationships and creating a close-knit, supportive “family feel” team focused on safe and successful delivery. I also appreciate the opportunity to continue my academic development alongside the role, progressing from a HNC in Construction Management towards a BSc (Hons) in Project Management, alongside practical on-the-job qualifications. Seeing planned works delivered safely and successfully is extremely rewarding.
What I want to do next
In the future I aim to progress into a Project Manager role with full responsibility for delivering projects end to end. My ambition is to lead my own projects, managing teams, subcontractors, programme, cost and health & safety to deliver successful outcomes on major infrastructure schemes.
What I’d like from the Apprentice Network
I’d like the network to offer opportunities for knowledge sharing, professional development workshops, mentoring, site visits across different projects and networking events. This would help apprentices build connections, strengthen leadership skills and gain a wider understanding of the industry as a whole.