Geotechnical Engineer Review

I am a geotechnical engineer working in the highway sector on behalf of National Highways. As part of the role I write reports which highlight geotechnical risks to the road network which also feeds in to designs to repair failed earthworks around the network. Designs I have worked on include sheet pile retaining walls, granular replacements, and soil nailed slopes.

At Kier I have been given a lot of opportunities to learn new skills on the job, but I have also attended external training courses. My apprenticeship was a management apprenticeship which has given me skills that help with time management, and people management. I have also gained the SMSTS qualification which allows me to supervise geotechnical works on the network and has given me a greater understanding of health & safety.

The programme was intensive as the required time commitment wasn't fully understood at the start of the programme. Colleagues on the programme were all in the same situation, so we helped each other and worked as a team to meet deadlines. The content of the course was good and taught us all useful skills.

The structure of the course was good, all resources and work was completed on an online site which meant everything was together in one place. We would meet once a month to go through the next subject topic as a group and share ideas and our experiences of how to deal with certain situations.

My line manager was very supportive and was more than happy to help me with any content on the course. They also provided opportunities for me to use my knowledge from the course which helped me to achieve a better grade on my qualification. The HR mentor from the course was also very helpful and ensured that we reached out goals.

The mentor from the course was very supportive and regularly scheduled one to one meetings to see how we were progressing and to test us on our knowledge. The mentor was also quick to respond to queries with the course and would contact the cohort with any problems, or common queries which could be resolved.

After attending the course, I have a much greater understanding of resource management, and how to motivate your team so that objectives can be achieved. It has also provided me with the skills needed to grow a healthy relationship with the client that makes working with them an absolute pleasure.

I work in a different office to the rest of my team, so it is difficult to organise social events. However, the office regularly had a 5 a side football match after work. When the team does meet up, we always tend to go out for a few drinks after work also.

Yes

At Kier there are always opportunities for you to try something new, or to develop relationships with other teams. The focus at Kier is to be flexible and collaborative in how we work, and this is starting to become more apparent on multidisciplinary projects where working together as a larger team is key to delivering engaging and interesting projects.

Kier like to see new talent which is enthusiastic and interested in their discipline. The more engaged you are with your work, the more likely you are to do well and be given more interesting opportunities. When you are given an opportunity to do or try something new at work, always say yes. This will push you out of your comfort zone at times, but Kier will support you and help you grow and become a stronger employee.