Amey Graduate Named Runner-Up at Prestigious Engineering Awards

A young engineer from leading infrastructure services provider Amey has beaten 90 competitors from around the globe to be named runner-up in the national Graduate of the Year category by New Civil Engineer magazine for his passion and commitment to the industry.

Simon Rawlins, 24, from York, works as a Graduate Engineer on Amey’s £250 million CEFA contract for Network Rail. This involves examining and assessing every structural asset on the railway network including bridges, tunnels, earthworks and station buildings.

Judges awarded him the runner-up prize along with a cheque for £600 during the NCE Graduate Awards 2011 lunch at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London.  The panel recognised that within just one year, he had completed a significant amount of training, acquired new skills and expertise from on-the-job learning and has quickly put this knowledge into practice.  

Andy Milner, Managing Director of Amey’s Consulting Division, said: “Receiving the runner-up award is a fantastic achievement not only for Simon, but for those who have supported and worked with him. At Amey we are committed to investing in our graduates and we understand that rewarding and recognising their efforts in day-to-day business is vital to help them reach their full potential.”

Simon Rawlins said: “I am delighted to have been named runner-up in the Graduate of the Year category.  Working for Amey has been a great opportunity. Thanks to the support I’ve received I have completed several training courses, which are really helping my career development and it has been brilliant to work on this very high profile project.”

Amey recruits up to 100 graduate trainees every year and has pledged that both graduate trainees and apprentices will each make up 1 per cent of its workforce.  The company was one of only 50 companies selected for TheJobCrowd’s 2011 ‘Top Companies For Graduates To Work For’ index, based on the way it invests in employee career development and offers varied career paths. 

Amey offers two dedicated graduate schemes – Simon has come through the two-year ‘Pathways’ Programme, which allows graduates to gain technical knowledge and transferable skills while pursuing accreditation from a wide range of professional bodies, including a large number with the ICE.

There is also a ‘Leadership’ Programme, which aims to develop ambitious graduates with managerial potential. Graduates are enrolled onto a two-year development programme and gain a wide breadth of experience on placements across the business.

Simon joined Amey’s Civils Examination Framework Agreement (CEFA) (Bridge Assessments) team in York last year and impressed his managers with his enthusiasm, innovative thinking, hard work and dedication.  

After successfully completing many training courses including rope access training, Simon was able to participate in the unique inspection and examination of a significant Cheshire landmark the Congleton Viaduct by abseiling down the 115ft structure, which was a self-confessed highlight in the young graduate’s career.

In addition, whilst at university he created a drinking water purification device for the benefit of the developing world. This self-funded invention took him to Kenya to conduct field testing of his prototypes and Simon hopes to soon get this project off the ground and help those in need.

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