Skip to main content Accessibility Help
Open menu

Volunteer engineer

Mike originally chose his degree at Durham University to keep his options open. “If you have an engineering degree you can do all kinds of things,” he says, but he decided to focus on civil engineering and hasn’t looked back.

Initially the funding attracted him to the ELS programme. Mike knew he wanted to work on major projects abroad, so having spent his third year at university studying in Berlin he took a long summer in Peru where he volunteered with a charity and designed clean water and sanitation systems for rural locations. “I was aware getting this a scholarship would help in getting funding to work overseas and it helped both with a language course in Germany and then my initial costs for travel and set up in Peru,” he says.

 

If you have an engineering degree you can do all kinds of things.

Advice

“Think of it as an opportunity to explore what you might want to do and the various opportunities in front of you – don’t just explore a path that somebody else has taken.”

Building a career

The ELS funding also covered the cost of volunteering in Sri Lanka, where Mike assumed responsibility for the construction of 110 houses, in response to the devastating tsunami in 2004.

Upon graduating, Mike started at Atkins and has worked there ever since. In his 15 years, he has worked on highways, bridges, water schemes, high profile buildings, major infrastructure and energy projects. “I’ve had a really varied career in terms of market sectors, amazing projects, working with great people and have lived in the UK, Middle East and France.” 

How the ELS helped

Preparation for work: “I think the award definitely opened my eyes and provided awareness and recognition of the different factors that make up engineering success.”

Network: “I’m still in touch with people from my cohort and we catch up when we can. There’s definitely a network that gives you a point of contact, particularly early on in your career. You can
ask someone for help and learn from others’ experiences.”

Changing the future of energy

His highlights include working on the striking Supreme Education Headquarters in Qatar and the site for a new village, Coed Darcy, in Wales. “I was also delivery manager for infrastructure on Iter, which is a huge experimental fusion reactor in the south of France. It is one of the most exciting and complex projects on the planet and has the potential to change the future of energy” he says.

 

Interested in participating in the Engineering Leaders Scholarship?

Visit the programme pages to find out more about how it could benefit you and your career.

Explore the scholarship