Josh shares his career journey so far as an apprentice engineer in our Community Development team.
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.
As an apprentice engineer, I support my team on infrastructure projects across the UK. I do this mainly by providing computer-aided design (CAD) modelling support in Civil3D and AutoCAD—gaining hands-on project experience and developing my civil design skills as I work.
Alongside this, I attend the University of West London once a week, where I’m working towards achieving my bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering.
When I was 17, I spent a week in Stantec’s Ashford office shadowing the Urban Regeneration team. It was during this week that I first began to use engineering design software and attended a site visit to King’s Cross. It was then that I saw the benefits of regenerating a disused urban area and how working as an engineer can so greatly improve the world around us, allowing communities to thrive. Also, having been keen on science, maths, design, and computing at school, I had admired the field of engineering as it would allow me to apply the skills learned in all these classes in my day-to-day work.
I most enjoy the fact that I work on both some of the largest infrastructure projects in the UK and smaller local community improvement schemes—I gain valuable experience and insight into correct practices and sustainable design as well as a comprehensive understanding of the civil engineering industry as a whole and how to effectively integrate into it. Moreover, I’ve seen how small projects can make a large difference to the communities that rely on the infrastructure we design.
At Stantec, my development is supported by several different groups. There’s the Developing Professionals Group, who organise events—such as a talk with Crossrail’s chief engineer—to further my engineering knowledge. The Learning and Development team organise structured training events and my team in Ashford provide me with tasks to apply the skills I learn at university. Also, frequent catch-ups with my line manager, mentor, and university allow me to identify where my strengths and weaknesses are, meaning I can then target specific skills to accelerate my development.
Having the support of my colleagues and managers to balance my university work with my Stantec project work has meant that I can successfully complete university work, project work, and my Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) commitments—and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
The King’s Cross Central Regeneration project stands out as a particular highlight. Seeing the positive impact our designs have on local communities gives me a great feeling of satisfaction. Furthermore, the complexity of working in such a constrained environment provides the opportunity for solving complex problems to arrive at the most efficient solution. Along with this, the scale of the project means that I can gain experience in various elements of civil infrastructure design.
I feel as though others should join the Stantec team as we’re a tightly knit organisation that works on some of the most economically and socially valuable infrastructure projects in the UK. Having the freedom to develop your own skills while receiving support from those around you makes the job satisfying and allows you to take control of your career.
