An ICE graduate member working on the £14.8bn Crossrail project in London has organised a graduate exchange programme with a graduate mechanical engineer involved with the same project.
ICE graduate member and Hyder engineer Lucy Loewenthal swapped roles with Institution of Mechanical Engineers graduate member Kwok-Gam Ng, who works for Bechtel.
Swap to Paddington
Loewenthal initially worked for Hyder as a design engineer on Crossrail’s Victoria Dock Portal. After swapping with Ng, she is now working as a field engineer at Paddington station.
She has enjoyed the switch, which she says has broadened her experience.
“Taking a design that is only on paper, through construction into becoming a public asset is a valuable experience for any designer,” she said.
“Now, I am encouraging my colleagues in both companies to get involved.
Legacy
“We hope to create a legacy and help revive what was previously a more active exchange programme”.
Ng agreed with Loewenthal. “Graduate exchange programmes are an amazing way for young engineers to develop different skills sets, gain experience in different working cultures as well as bring companies closer together,” he said.
“This has been an invaluable opportunity for me and I hope that other graduates might be inspired to create an exchange if their company doesn’t formally offer one.”
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