Civil Engineer (Highways) Review

My role comprises of four to five six month placements where I am moving across different areas of the business which relate to but are not limited to the Engineering directorate. Currently I work in Network sponsorship and day to day I monitor schemes in the London borough of Islington and also look after Westminster's Legible London signs asset list.

Yes I have learnt and developed multiple skills. Probably one of the best skills that I have made the most progress on since joining the current team that I am working in is my skill in communicating with other stakeholders in order to get work done as efficiently as possible. The development of this skill was very important to me because previously I struggled a little bit to communicate with others.

I do enjoy my programme a lot, with transport for London especially I feel as if the work load is never too much, but at the same time you always have enough to do to keep you interested and busy. The work that I do is extremely varied and therefore I have not felt as if I am stuck somewhere where there is no progression.

At the beginning of my scheme the organization of who was in charge of us was definitely lack lustered as I had no clear person to go to with issues on my overall scheme, However as my programme developed a new line manager came around which has made the experience a lot more structured and meaningful. So currently the programme is very well structured.

I believe the support available from the employer at Transport for London is very good. Maybe this is just from my experiences but I have never felt that if I was to have an Issue at work that I wouldn't be able to receive support to help me through it. Although I haven't had to have any direct support from my employer I feel as if it will be there if I need it.

I have two training providers on my qualification technically. As for the NVQ side I have Interserve who has been quite good with training support all of the times I have engaged with them. However I also attend the college of north west London who has definitely improved over the course of my scheme but there was definitely previous issues with support from the college, especially at the beginning of my scheme.

The Civil engineering qualification at college definitely has some crossovers with the work that I do at work as Engineering definitions and practices that I learn at college also translate to the work that I do. Also the management course provided by Interserve help me with more practical scenarios of how to deal with issues in the workplace and communicate more efficiently which will not only help me where I am now but will also help me in the future.

there are a lot of working groups and extra curriculum activities that are free to get involved with at Transport for London, I have often seen invites to attend meetings on different subjects and I know that there are staff networking groups who often host events and activities. Also within the direct team that I work in there is often socials that you can choose to attend.

Yes

Because you get the chance to earn a decent amount of money whilst still achieving equivalent qualifications to your peers all whilst getting good experience on the job which will translate into a full time role in an industry which isn't going anywhere any time soon, therefore getting involved would set you up for the future and help you achieve goals.

Make sure to look at Transport for London's key behaviors when applying for what ever role you are going for, these consist of Active, Accountable, Fair and Consistent, Collaborative and Direct. Having a good understanding of these and also structuring interview answers around them also will most definitely help anyone help anyone who is planning to apply for a role.