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Role: Senior Technician Degree Apprentice
Career Area: Engineering Design
Current Study Level: Degree Apprenticeship
Location: York
My role at SYSTRA
My current role at SYSTRA is a Senior Technician in the Bridges team. For over six years now I have worked my way up to this role through education, mentorship and project progression. I currently work on Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) as a work package manager and designer.
As a work package manager I oversee and manage the Bridges team’s delivery on the project, specifically focusing on the programme and resources. This role requires clear and frequent communication with both the Bridges team, various disciplines within SYSTRA, the project management team and the TRU East Alliance; I have implemented a proactive approach in the team to ensure fluidity and positive control over project delivery.
My designer work varies per structure; overall I have successfully completed five designs on TRUe as the lead engineer. In addition, I am actively working as a designer on multiple structures. As a designer I have been able to develop my engineering knowledge from mentorship within the team, with each design increasing in complexity with new challenges. These challenges have furthered my competency and have allowed me to grow into my designer position.
I am also a STEM ambassador, attending and hosting events each year, spreading the importance and abundance of options there are by following a STEM route.
Why I chose a degree apprenticeship
After leaving high school I knew A-levels and full-time university was not suited to my learning style. I chose to do a BTEC Level 3 full-time after high school, as I knew I had a passion for engineering. I shared this course with apprentices; through talking to them about their chosen path, I could see an apprenticeship would be enjoyable. I spent the year looking into the engineering industry in depth until I was confident as to where I felt my passion could be pursued.
From there I started my journey as a technician for SYSTRA, completing level 3, 4, 5 and 6, and the EngTech. The journey has been an amazing experience and I am grateful I gained my civil engineering degree through an apprenticeship. I have met incredible people and learnt so much on the job that would not have been possible without having followed an apprenticeship pathway.
We asked Chloe…
How have your technical skills developed throughout your apprenticeship?
My technical skills as an apprentice have developed through education and mentorship. The team have supported me with engineering works and how to put into practice what I am learning. In addition, I’ve learnt a world of things which you are not taught on an education-only path.
How have you grown personally through doing an apprenticeship?
I have personally grown a lot during my apprenticeship; through meeting people during education on the same path, to the people I have met at work, both in and outside of my team. Having a whole team as a support network, as well as being able to now communicate with anyone in the company with ease, my confidence has really grown at SYSTRA.
What advice would you offer to someone who’s unsure if an apprenticeship is right for them?
Whilst an apprenticeship is hard work, it could not be more worth it, if it is where your passion lies. If you know what career you would like to pursue and there is an apprenticeship available in that field, then GO FOR IT! The hard work is complimented by the benefits of working for a company, and the mentorship and real-life experience that comes with.
How does SYSTRA stand out as a great place to work?
SYSTRA has a wide variety of benefits including the people, the office locations all over the world, and the support to grow and move around the business. There is also a broad spectrum of projects to work on, which provides lots of variety when gaining experience.
What’s your favourite thing about your job right now?
My favourite thing about my job is my team. I am grateful to work in a team that values my progression and supports me with all my future goals – as well as them being incredible friends and a great support network!
Diversity is powerful. What unique perspective do you offer as an apprentice?
I personally have the privilege of working with a huge diverse pool of people at SYSTRA. As an early careers colleague in the industry with a creative personality, it’s great to work with experienced professionals and innovate new ways to find project solutions. As well as this, I am a STEM ambassador, enabling me to host and/or attend events with a variety of ages such as high school and primary school. In addition to this, as my career has developed, I have been appointed as a mentor to two apprentices in the team, where I have been able to support them, teach them and introduce them to a wide variety of people within the company and projects.
What would an entirely green future look like? How should our industry contribute?
The UK’s green future goal is to be net zero by 2050, and there are many factors which need to be addressed for us to achieve this. Within our industry there are countless ways that we can contribute to this goal, including using BIM, sustainable materials and electrification. I do believe we can achieve a greener future, but I think there are wider factors that could hinder some of those sustainability ambitions.
As engineers we can still make the best decisions towards sustainability, and these considerations should always be included in our designs no matter what – we should strive to design infrastructure that will encourage people and clients to make greener decisions themselves, whilst also thinking into the future, beyond our own lifetimes, to consider what we can do in terms of the end of the design’s life cycle.
You can spend your lunchbreak with anyone you admire – who would you choose?
Emily Roebling. She is a female engineer who embraced and balanced everything that life threw at her. Her life story is truly inspiring and highlights that success is not about money and speed, but that through nurture, support, dedication and teamwork you will not only have a successful project, but a successful life. She devoted her life to the industry, made sacrifices to power through, and demonstrated her commitment to education. I really admire her multitasking skills.
What is your next big career goal?
My next big career goal is to complete my IEng and gain more experience in management as well as engineering.
What excites you about your career future?
I am excited to see my efforts as an apprentice flourish into a full-time role and see what path it leads me down. Having developed my engineering and project management skills throughout my apprenticeship, I am really looking forward to narrowing down a more specific career path.