Verity Saunders
Engineering technician, AWP
Expertise
Design, Water, Environmental ManagementLocation
South WestMy highlights
Working on new and interesting projects - new towns, sites, buildings, and more!
Being mentored by experienced, knowledgeable and supportive engineers
Achieving the Engineering Technician qualification with the ICE (EngTech MICE)
I chose to do an apprenticeship because...
I wanted to gain professional qualifications in engineering and design with a hands-on approach to learning and working.
I knew that, through an apprenticeship, I would be able to achieve this.
Being professionally qualified with the ICE is a really great qualification to have behind you. It can take you, not only anywhere, but also as far as you want it to take you.
A day in your life
A typical day in my life involves designing systems to protect sites from flooding during their lifespan.
This involves lots of different CAD software to create various types of engineering plans.
Aside from drawing, I will be problem solving, running comprehensive models, creating 3D models and assisting in writing engineering reports.
Sometimes I will work on sites that are simply a concept, and I will provide a client with constraints and limitations to factor into their masterplan design.
Other tasks include designing sustainable drainage systems for sites to gain planning permission.
We asked Verity…
What would you say to anyone considering a civil engineering apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship in civil engineering will never get boring!
If you enjoy problem solving and want to work in a field that is always evolving and keeping up with new technologies and sustainability challenges, civil engineering will be for you.
Complete this phrase: I’m a civil engineering apprentice, but I’m also…
A photographer, surfer, artist and musician.
What about being a civil engineer apprentice gets you out of bed each morning?
Every day I will be working on a different and interesting design. No day is the same, which I find motivating and enjoyable!
What’s one great thing that you love about civil engineering that you didn’t know until you started working in the industry?
Civil engineering has a real focus and drive on sustainability.
This means I can be involved in designing systems that will really benefit local ecosystems, improve water quality and make places greener, even in cities.
Civil engineering is all around us. The way we design has a massive impact on what our everyday environments look like and how it makes us feel.
When we get our designs right, we don’t just see benefits now, but in the future, too.
Name one civil engineering myth you’d like to bust.
Civil engineers don’t just design bridges! The industry is incredibly broad with many different fields to specialise in.
Has civil engineering helped you overcome any personal hurdles or difficulties?
Working in civil engineering has really helped prove to myself what I’m capable of.
This has really helped my self-confidence and allowed me to gain so much experience working in a technical and fast-paced environment.
What motivated you to become a professionally qualified Engineering Technician (EngTech) with the ICE?
Even before I understood what EngTech really meant, I knew from co-workers that it was a respected qualification within the industry.
My End Point Assessment at level 3 offered the opportunity to take the EngTech review alongside it.
This meant I had a really great opportunity to get professionally qualified early in my career.
What does EngTech MICE status mean for your career?
Having EngTech MICE status shows employers that, despite being new to the industry, I can work to a standard that is nationally recognised.
What advice would you give someone considering becoming an EngTech MICE?
If you're considering the qualification, use those around you for support and guidance.
Get involved with ICE events, and reach out to people within the ICE who have gone through the process before.
