Ed Tapper from Tapper Interiors narrates his journey through the construction industry and how he went from an on site labourer to an award winning Quality and Safety Officer.
Read about Ed Tapper’s inspirational career development and what he has to say about his experience.
‘I started working on site at the age of 16, whilst I was on half term from college doing an ICT course, which was obviously very different to site work. To be honest I was absolutely terrified. I was 16, working away from home, in Bradford, on a large Audi car dealership. I had no idea how or what I should be doing. The first job I was given was to clear up all the waste plasterboard and throw it in the skip along with sweeping up. Fine I thought, a nice and easy job. The next job wasn’t quite so easy. I was tasked with topping out the plasterboard partition walls the other lads had been building. So, for the next two weeks I spent pretty much the whole-time cutting plasterboard around many services. It’s safe to say, I was proficient at cutting plasterboard after all this.
After the two weeks passed, I went back to college, and I got paid for the two weeks I had worked in Bradford. I was astonished at the amount I got paid for doing 12 hour days and I also got an overnight subsistence allowance. I thought that being paid to eat was a great bonus. I decided to complete my one-year ICT course and work on site at half terms. After the course had finished, I intended to go full time on site.
For years after this I would work away doing various car dealerships around the country learning the skills to do the job as well as making good friendships (friendships that I still have to this day) with colleagues and other trades that would travel the country doing the jobs in conjunction with us. We had a lot of fun as well as getting the jobs done on time and to the high standard that was expected of us. The time while working I also passed my NVQ Level 2 in Interior Systems – Drylining – Fixing.
At the age of 23 I gained my SSSTS and supervised my first big contract, a Mercedes dealership in Shrewsbury. This had its challenges, overseeing my first job and telling the ‘older lot’ what they needed to be doing. With time I gained more confidence and jobs got easier to run and the ‘older lot’ gaining more respect for me.
In 2022, I passed my SMSTS and was handed the task of site managing a Lotus dealership in Piccadilly. This was real step up, with more responsibility and I had to learn and gain a lot more knowledge and experience very quickly. The job finished in 2023, on time, within budget and with a very high-end finish. I won ‘Rising Star Award’ at the FIS training awards in 2024 for this job and the testimonial from David Aldcroft (Head of Network Development Operations) for Lotus Cars.
Recently I have earned an HNC in Construction and the Built Environment and have taken up a new job role in the TI office as Quality and Safety Officer. I’ve been on site for 19 years and without all my experiences and challenges I would not be able to have the knowledge and confidence I have now. Yes, it’s taken time but nothing comes easily in this life you must earn it.
In the future, I look forward to passing my knowledge and skills on to the younger generation proving to them that sticking at something will come good in the end.’
Ed is apart of Fit-Out Futures, a forward-thinking community, keen and dedicated to shaping the future of the fit-out and interiors sector. He is using his experience and knowledge to now help other people entering the industry.
Find out more about Fit-Out Futures here
