Aidan McEvoy

How have your technical skills developed throughout SYSTRA’s graduate programme?

The graduate programme has given me the opportunity to experience the diverse range of projects SYSTRA is involved with. Through this, I was able to learn completely new technical skills in microsimulation modelling software, which was never on my radar previously. This is work I knew little to nothing about before joining SYSTRA, but I’ve found myself really enjoying learning the ins and outs of how we use this method to analyse transport networks.

My educational background allowed me to already offer a relatively strong skillset in some Microsoft 360 products, but certainly since joining SYSTRA I have improved in these areas. I wasn’t particularly advanced using Excel when I first started, but once again the Graduate Development Programme (GDP) has provided me with the space to develop skills in this area in real-world scenarios. What is great about the GDP is there’s a clear path which can be followed throughout. 

How have you grown personally since embarking on a graduate programme?

I feel as though the graduate programme has been an excellent way for me to grow into the responsibilities required for working in a busy office-based position. My colleagues in the Cork office have been brilliant at making me feel welcome and helping me adjust to this new setting. I have also been exposed to having to meet deadlines and the pressures that come along with working in a consultancy business. Being introduced to the work in this way has definitely helped me grow into the role naturally, knowing I have the support of my colleagues at any point if I have questions or get into any difficulty. I am continuously progressing in terms of my ability to carry out the role using my initiative, and in conducting myself in a professional manner.

What advice would you offer to someone who’s unsure if a graduate programme is right for them?

If someone was considering the graduate programme at SYSTRA I would definitely push them towards it. In my experience, I have been given exposure to work which is detached from my degree subject, and have been provided with the support needed to complete this work. and learn new areas of the industry. I have also been given exposure to some planning related work, which is more catered to knowledge attained in education.

SYSTRA as a business offers lots of opportunities across different services and markets, and within the graduate programme, graduates are given ample opportunities to work on these different types of projects. The best graduate programmes are those that provide you with the widest range of experience in your initial working years as possible, and SYSTRA is certainly successful in doing that. 

How does SYSTRA stand out as a great place to work?

SYSTRA stands out as a great place to work mainly because of the friendliness and approachability of their staff. Since joining, I have not had any issues with communicating with colleagues and any questions I needed answering were always met with polite and insightful responses.

There is a great sense within the work we do that all projects we are involved with lead to the overall improvement of the industry / market – innovation is a really important element at SYSTRA. I believe that working in transport infrastructure provides a huge opportunity to make a significant difference on the built environment and its functionality.  

What’s your favourite thing about your job right now?

My favourite thing about my job would have to be the variety of work I am getting exposed to. While I am working on tasks which I would be familiar with from my college degree, I also am getting experience working on tasks I knew nothing about previous to working at SYSTRA. It’s great to have that mix.

Diversity is powerful. What unique perspective do you offer as a graduate at SYSTRA?

Whilst many enter the business as graduate engineers, I feel as though coming from a planning background, I can offer a unique perspective. I would like to think I am programmed to see the wider implications of transport projects on the towns and cities which host them. I can bring a different voice, with different ideas, to the table. When learning the more technical skills required to impact projects, I’m sure I will always have that planning voice in my head which will offer me a wider perspective, regardless of the project type.

What would an entirely green future look like? How should our industry contribute?

Private car use should be reduced to the complete minimum and our main towns and cities should be well-connected by public transport and active travel infrastructure. A huge modal shift is needed for this to become a reality, but the overall improvement in our quality of life with this change would be staggering. Our industry can contribute to this by completing high quality public transport and active travel schemes for our towns and cities. The better these schemes work for the people who use them, the more people will choose to use them.

You can spend your lunchbreak with anyone you admire – who would you choose?

Grian Chatten from Fontaines D.C. – cool guy.

What is your next big career goal?

My next big career goal is to complete the SYSTRA Graduate Development Programme. The programme provides a strong insight into a number of different areas, and completing this will set me up to be capable of confidently completing work on my own initiative across the business – in-turn, it would make me into a more well-rounded transport planner.

What excites you about your career future?

What excites me about working in transport is that, now more than ever, the public has a growing desire for change. I feel like there are more opportunities for bold transport planning ideas to be brought to life, along with the worldwide need for more sustainable transport networks to be provided in every town and city.