My journey from Graduate to Associate

Having recently taken part in the annual Cundall graduate recruitment centre, it has allowed me to reflect on my journey within the company.

I started as a graduate back in 2007 and was the first electrical engineering graduate within the Birmingham office. Having received an Electronic Engineering and Cybernetics degree from the University of Reading, I had always intended to become an engineer. But like many budding graduates, how I was actually going to apply this degree in the real world was still unknown. I attended several interviews after graduation for roles with electronics and computer engineering companies, but it became clear to me that I wanted to do something more than sit at a desk behind a computer screen all day. I wanted something more exciting that allowed me to be creative in my work and got me out of the office.

Not really knowing where my career would start, it was by pure chance that I bumped into an old friend and got talking about their line of work. “We’re crying out for electrical engineers in the building services industry!” were his exact words. “What’s building services?” I replied! But spending some time discussing the industry and the roles and responsibilities of a building services engineer, I quickly saw that this was a career that I could really see myself being a part of. I was particularly interested in the combination of system design and analysis, collaborative approaches, and being able to physically see your work come to life.

I was invited for an interview with Cundall, and as they say, the rest is history. Fast forward 17 years, and I’m managing my own team on a range of exciting multi-disciplinary projects across the UK. During my time at Cundall, I have worked on numerous large-scale projects in the industrial, commercial, and education sectors, gaining significant and invaluable experience working with developers, end-users, and contractors. My recent experience in the logistics and industrial sectors has allowed me to become the Birmingham office logistics sector lead, where I am currently investigating how we can apply net zero carbon strategies and technologies to help reduce carbon emissions in the construction and operation of logistics facilities.

Looping back to Cundall graduate recruitment, in the September 2023 intake, we recruited 34 graduates across our UK offices. Following this, we have completed our annual graduate recruitment centre for 2024 and have already made several offers to prospective graduates, with a number of these places already secured for the 2024 intake. Having been involved with the interview process over the last five years, it’s safe to say that I have seen how Cundall invests heavily in recruiting and developing the best young talent in the industry. This process has been tailored over the years to get the best out of each individual and to allow everyone to excel within the business.

Having personally gone through the Cundall / CIBSE approved chartership programme, I achieved chartership through CIBSE and the Engineering Council UK in 2016. I have since been able to give something back by mentoring others through their chartership journey. As part of the Cundall / CIBSE chartership programme, hundreds of other chartered engineers and I can provide guidance and mentorship to assist others in obtaining professional accreditation. Having started on the training scheme myself, it is great to see how this has improved over the years to support and nurture the young talent at Cundall.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the company continues to grow in recruiting bright, young engineers, and watching them progress in their own career journeys.