Henna Mahmood

"The first personality type is Influencer. This works well with the job role I have done and matches my personality as I can equally work well in a team and on my own. I also have the ability to confidently lead when necessary as well as paying strong attention to detail. My job requires me to think outside of the box when solving problems and coming up with the best solution in a unique situation.The second personality type is Manager. This is someone who is motivated and enjoys motivating others. This does match my personality type and this is shown through my active role as a STEM ambassador where I enjoy encouraging people to take this route. I am also a good organiser as I have to manage my time well given the tight schedules and working within specific budgets. Finally, I am a quality controller which means I am trustworthy and have a natural sense of justice. I have been described in this manner by most people I know and along with this is curiosity which definitely matches my personality. I also like to challenge the way things are done because there is always opportunity for change and improvement."

"In the workplace I work predominantly in the design team where I have had the opportunity to work both with the public and private sector whilst on a secondment in the city of York council for two and a half years. I worked with the traffic signals renewals scheme across the city centre which included all the design works and involvement in the civils team. I also designed the parking solutions within the city of York with the implementation of traficams and magnetometers. Amongst this experience, I have designed the preliminary cycle scheme across Bolton, using existing infrastructure to improve cycle connectivity across the beeline network. I have been involved with road marking designs and sign design on a recent Manchester Clean Air Zone scheme. As well as this, I have researched customer design proposals and requests to evaluate feasibility, cost and maintenance requirements of designs. The outcomes are that I am able to physically see the changes I have done and to know I helped to improve the safety of the general traffic flow and potentially reducing the accident rates. I mostly enjoy the modelling aspect of the job which is not as frequent but it allows you to visually see a future representation of the work that is required.For a degree apprenticeship at AECOM the starting salary is £18,000."

"At the age of 17 in year 12, I spent a week doing working experience at a completely different job. I didn't enjoy my time and knew this was not the right career for me. Work placement week at my sixth form had finished but I was left unsatisfied therefore I decided to arrange work placement by contacting the organisation directly. This organisation was AECOM where I currently work and I was fortunate to have had the last available placement. I enjoyed the entire week but the moment which stands out was when I had the opportunity to speak with a group of apprentices about what they did. I had never really been told about the benefits of apprenticeships and had only been told a one sided negative view therefore this changed my perspective. I knew this was what I wanted to do. I applied and went for the job interview where I was successful and from here I have been working with AECOM and have 4 months until I will finish my degree."

"I love travelling, hiking, camping, just being outdoors really. I am fortunate that the degree apprenticeship means I have no university debt and I also get paid a good salary which mean I have the ability to travel. Before COVID-19 I went to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and I have previously climbed Mount Mulanje which is the highest peak in central Asia. I have been wild camping in winter and loved it. "

"A large amount of my work is design (there are many different roles in engineering) and this means working on my computer on a specific design software. I also answer emails during the day but before lockdown I was working on a project where I had a lot of site visits during the day therefore the role was more physically demanding. I like to have my morning coffee, we having a morning catch up call where everyone confirms that they are okay and have no covid symptoms and let the group know what work they are doing and if they are low on work and need a new project to work on. Sometimes the day can be very busy on project calls to feedback process or for information to be provided to the team. There are work events I get involved in and presentations throughout the month which you can watch if you have availability. It is difficult as I don't have a printer which made design work much easier and often it can be difficult not having team members working next to you as you instead have to explain everything virtually but through time this difficulty has eased and balancing the working from home life has become much easier."

"I did my A levels, The apprenticeship is split over 5 years: BTEC Level 4 HNC (1.5 years), BTEC Level 5 HND (1.5 years), BSc Civil Engineering Degree (2 years) The HND and HNC combined are equivalent to the first two years at university. I also gained my NVQ Level 5 during my apprenticeship and I am working towards my Engtech and IENG (Incorporated Engineer) qualification which are done alongside my degree."