Hi, my name is Jag Chima and I work for London Underground as a lead project engineer in the asset renewal engineering division of the company. I am also an Ambassador for ICE, and this is my experience.
What does an ambassador do?
An ambassador is responsible for promoting all aspects of the industry, particularly to students who may be making career choices.
Why did you become an ambassador?
I believe that the only way the industry can keep up with the demand, not only for engineers but also for general construction industry operatives, is to encourage school children from an early age that the construction industry is a good career choice. They need to feel that the industry is on par with other more “popular” industries such as medicine, law, IT etc.
Do you enjoy being an ambassador for the ICE? If your answer is yes, please explain your reason.
Yes, I do. Meeting different people from all walks of life who are interested in the industry is infinitely rewarding. Watching the school children’s faces as they begin to comprehend that engineering is not just about muddy building sites and hard hats. Educating their teachers is very good as we can only interface with the kids for a matter of minutes or hours. If the teachers can take away our ethos, then they can reinforce the message away from the excitement of open days / science fairs etc.
The skills you have learnt to become an ambassador, do you think that these are transferable into your job?
Yes, as the ability to communicate well at levels is vital in my job.
What is a typical day working for the London Underground like for you?
I don’t have typical days! Every day is different and varied, but I do have core things which I do during the week.
I get into the office for 8am. I generally spend an hour checking emails (and having my one and only coffee of the day – I’m a tea drinker). Mondays are always busy as we need to check progress and reports from the weekend’s work. I will then update the visualisation boards with this info for the director’s meeting on Tuesday mornings. I hold an engineering workshop at Oxford Circus Station (which is one of my projects) every Wednesday afternoon where we will discuss any engineering issues which have been raised or need resolution. Friday mornings are taken up with our engineering team meeting which is run more as an open discussion forum for issues which we have encountered rather than a formal meeting. The rest of the week is filled with dealing with issues that raise their head.
Why did you become a civil engineer?
I read all the brochures and decided that it was for me. It was the rich variety of work that initially interested me. I worked as a contractor for a major international firm (Balfour Beatty) for almost 10 years where I qualified as a chartered engineer. I had a variety of jobs from building roads and bridges, tendering, estimating to bidding for new work.
I then moved to LUL, which was quite an easy transition to make even though the industries and jobs were completely different. I believe that the training which you receive as a civil engineer gives you many transferable skills and equips you to deal with a variety of situations. Basically, it teaches you to be able to think on your feet and be adaptable to most situations.
In your own words, what does it take to become an ambassador?
Patience, open mindedness, good communications skills (at all levels from children to directors), a sense of fun and most importantly, a real belief in the fact that unless we convince children from a young age that civil engineering and construction is just as cool as the other more popular industries then we will be in real trouble in the years to come.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to become an ambassador?
Three words – GO FOR IT!!