Fatou : Graduate Engineer
BEng Civil Engineering,
University of Greenwich
There are about 150 people in my office, but somehow it doesn't feel big. There's almost a family feel to it in many ways. I suppose what I really like is that everyone's different, and between them they cover just about every angle you could think of in relation to highway maintenance. Our media team is a great example: very strong, very professional - which is just what you need when you're managing and maintaining some of the busiest roads in the country, like the Scotland TranServ project. It's the same with the environmental aspects - you've got the experts there, always ready to help.
That thoroughness and professionalism is one of the things I really like about Balfour Beatty. It's something I first noticed during my training, which was broader than I'd expected. You're exposed to situations where you're expected to use what you've learned, although you're never pushed too far - just kept on the edge of your comfort zone. It's highly structured, but very informal at the same time. And for me, one of the best things was the fact that my manager could tell me everything I needed to know about the business of getting chartered. There was also plenty of help and support from other graduates via the company intranet - I guess it's that family thing again.
I suspect it's because Balfour Beatty take such a broad view of engineering that I do the same in my job. It's not just about concrete carriageways and crash barriers, it's about broader safety issues like driver behaviour. That's why the team decided to produce a CD for foreign HGV drivers, covering many different safety aspects of driving in the UK. I'm proud to say I assisted in delivering that.
