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Testimonials

Georgina Marchant, Graduate Engineer, Environment Development Planning, Southampton Office

I started my time at Gifford as an Industrial Placement Student whilst studying for my MSc in Civil Engineering at the University of Southampton.

During my placement Gifford allowed me to spend time in two different sections, Geotechnics and Environment Development Planning. This gave me the opportunity to gain a broad understanding of the industry as a whole whilst allowing me to make an informed decision on the career path I wished to follow. In this way, my placement was invaluable to my career development whilst giving me the opportunity to use the knowledge I gained during my time at university in practical applications.

I was thrilled upon graduation to be offered a permanent position and am enjoying my return to the company. Since joining Gifford permanently in September 2008 I have been working as a member of the Development and Infrastructure team. I have worked on a varied range of projects from contaminated land reports and flood risk assessments, to drainage design and masterplanning. The section is incredibly diverse in both the projects tackled and the people working within it.

Every day I encounter something new and exciting and I am always supported and encouraged by the team around me. I still leave work feeling like I have learnt something new! I gain real satisfaction from the work I do and am excited about the challenges my career holds within such a dynamic and forward-thinking company.

Ross Adams, Graduate Engineer, Geotechnics, Southampton Office

I completed an MSc in Civil Engineering with Industrial Placement from Southampton University.

My placement was for 11 months, and as I had studied highway design at university and enjoyed it, Gifford arranged for me to spend the first half of my placement working in the Highways Department.

I carried out many different tasks, from the initial costing of jobs, to writing the specifications and design work and worked on a variety of projects, including the N7 Motorway in Ireland and a ring road for Gibraltar Airport.

The second half of my placement was spent in the Geotechnics department. I had not spent much time studying geotechnics at university and was initially concerned that I would not be able to contribute to the team! However everyone was very welcoming and supportive, and it turned out to be a great development opportunity. Working on the M1 widening scheme designing embankments, and also being able to visit the M1 site during construction, was a very valuable learning experience.

Since graduating in 2008, I have been working full time in the Geotechnics department and continuing with the M1 widening. I have recently started work on the M25 widening from J27-30, which will enable me to take on more responsibility and further develop my skills.

For the future, I look forward to progressing my steep learning curve of Geotechincs with Gifford, with a view to becoming chartered in the not too distant future.