Apprentice Builder – Quinn Matthews

I am doing an apprenticeship as a builder and carpenter so that one day I’ll be able to step up and co‑ordinate a multi‑million dollar building project. Construction demands a lot of you mathematically. One of my main tasks is to work out quantities for concrete pours. This involves measuring and calculating volume — if I make a mistake, it is going to cost a lot of money!

Setting out a building accurately is part of the everyday work for the foreman on site. You don’t want the building to be offset or on strange angles. Building what the architect has in mind involves measuring, reading plans and solving problems using angles and triangles.

I did maths in Years 11 and 12 and really enjoyed that. It helps a lot in building to have a good maths understanding. There are many engineering and mathematics principles in the design and construction of any building. Year 12 maths gives you that extra boost. It is what employers are looking for especially on large building sites. I’m thoroughly enjoying this work. There is always something happening on a building site and they are all really good guys to work with. I’m having an absolute ball.

The Maths: Make your career count series was produced by AMSI and funded by the Australian Government under The Improving Mathematics in Schools (TIMES) project. Visit the Maths: Make your career count website at http://mathscareers.org.au/