Added: 12th December 2023 by Stantec
A graduate civil engineer in Dublin, Maria shares her experience so far working at Stantec.
In the My Stantec Story series, our designers, engineers, marketers, project managers, and leaders come together to share how their career journeys at Stantec have shaped their lives and moved them closer to their goals.
I joined Stantec’s Dublin team in April 2022 as a graduate civil engineer. My main role involves assisting my team with drainage area plans projects across Ireland. This includes a variety of tasks from preparation of reports to wastewater modelling support, which contributes to my learning and professional development.
As a graduate civil engineer, I was interested in Stantec as a global design firm that provides a variety of services including engineering. I wanted to become part of a big team that works cooperatively while sharing knowledge and experience. It wasn’t just Stantec’s position in the market or its ambitious projects that made me want to join.
The Graduate Programme was, without a doubt, one of the best benefits. Built to help us in the early stages of our career, the programme offers guidance, encourages us to gather with fellow graduates, and offers opportunities to engage with other experienced colleagues to build our network and share our knowledge.
What I enjoy most about my role is the opportunity I am given to keep learning and to actively contribute to different pieces of work, which allows me to follow my career goal of becoming a chartered engineer.
I receive great support from my line manager and team as they provide invaluable guidance and encourage me to give my opinion and make decisions. They also assist me in my professional goal of becoming a chartered engineer, following up with regular meetings where I can talk about the work I am doing and how that can fit into the required competencies. In addition, they provide suggestions and give thorough feedback for me to keep working towards this ongoing goal.
Being part of the Developing Professionals Group (DPG), and becoming DPG lead for the Dublin Office during 2023, helped me improve my communication and leadership skills and competences also supported by our Graduate Programme. Furthermore, DPG presentations promoted a regular knowledge share and lessons learned, which contributes to our growing technical skills.
What I enjoy most about my role is the opportunity I am given to keep learning and to actively contribute to different pieces of work.
I’ve been involved in drainage area plan (DAP) projects since they started within the Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) framework. DAPs target critical wastewater networks that require a detailed performance assessment and improvement strategy due to planned development growth, reported flooding issues, and poor environmental performances.
During Stage 1, I was responsible for data collection, maintenance of the data manual, preparation of Stage 1 reports, and assisting the modelling team. I’ve also been responsible for the preparation of figures and maps that support Stage 1, which has allowed me to gain experience with geographic information systems (GIS) tools.
As I plan to become a chartered engineer in the future, I hope to continue to progress in my civil engineering path, participating in upcoming stages of the projects I’m currently working on, and learning from a specialised and talented team.
Outside of work, I enjoy reading and going for a run. Travelling is also a big passion of mine as I get to learn more about different places and cultures.
Stantec is a global company with a range of different projects and exciting opportunities. It supports apprentices and graduates like me with several training courses and experienced mentors who guide, challenge, and encourage us. It also provides employees opportunities to grow a knowledge exchange culture, through the DPG and the Graduate Programme, while still promoting social elements to foster our professional networks.
