Joseph Dean

How have your technical skills developed throughout your apprenticeship?

Throughout my time in my apprenticeship, I’ve been able to develop my CAD skills, alongside getting a deeper understanding of standards and systems used throughout the industry.

How have you grown personally through doing an apprenticeship?

During the apprenticeship I’ve been able to become more independent. Frequent travelling and overnight stays have allowed me to interact with colleagues across the business, and also see different parts of the UK – which is one of the best parts!

What advice would you offer to someone who’s unsure if an apprenticeship is right for them?

Compare an apprenticeship to a similar university course – the advantages quickly become apparent. Support from a fantastic company and colleagues, on-the-job experience throughout your learning, and the sponsorship agreement which gives everyone an opportunity regardless of their personal finances.

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

Alongside the fantastic support you receive from an amazing network of colleagues, SYSTRA truly supports you with your career development. They also allow you to have a great work life/balance, giving you the opportunity to come into the office and work from home throughout the week. With lots of the offices being in some great locations, it also allows you to enjoy some of the UK’s best cities.

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

For me, it has to be travelling around the UK on the greatest form of transport – rail! SYSTRA has given me the opportunity to visit new cities, enjoying their architecture and culture whilst meeting new colleagues along the way.

Diversity is powerful. What unique perspective do you offer as an apprentice?

I like to think I can bring a good railway understanding to my role, thanks to my personal interests. This has really helped me in my role and allowed me to get a better grasp when I first started with the company. It’s also proved useful when working with colleagues, when having to apply railway knowledge to a civil engineering piece. Also, as an apprentice I can frequently see the links between my job and what I learn at university, which mutually benefits both my university studies and my work.

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

A green future for the UK in my mind is a mix of more high speed, regional and metro railway routes across the country, and looking at whether we allocate funding on electrification and other upgrades or new and reopened route construction. Our industry can support this by ensuring our solutions involve and integrate communities, as these are the people who will utilise our designs for generations to come.

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

It would be great to spend a lunchbreak with someone like Isambard Kingdom Brunel to learn about his thoughts of the railway today. I’d also love to spend the time with Dr Richard Beeching to get a deeper understanding of why specific lines were axed during the 1960s, or even Lord Peter Hendy, someone who shares my love for preservation.

In fact, the people I admire and already share lunchbreaks with are my colleagues. As someone who has a strong interest in rail, joining SYSTRA has allowed me to spend time and learn from well-known people within the industry (something of a mini dream come true). I look forward to meeting more influential SYSTRA colleagues in the future.

What is your next big career goal?

My next big career goal is to see myself complete my degree apprenticeship over the new few years – hopefully working my way up through the company in the meantime!

What excites you about your career future?

Looking ahead, I look forward to working on new and upcoming infrastructure projects for the railway and hope to integrate myself more into the industry – maybe I’ll even become well-known for my expertise within a certain field… we’ll see!