News & Views

I joined ITP this summer after graduating from the University of Nottingham where I studied Human Geography. While I was at university, I became really interested in the various issues surrounding sustainability and I knew I wanted a career that would help make a difference to the environment. I was struggling to decide on a specific sector that I wanted to go into when the role at ITP was circulated by the Geography Department. I was immediately captured by the culture of the company and the tangible impact working in the transport sector could provide.

Jumping straight in!

Since joining the company, I’ve already had the opportunity to work with colleagues on some really high-profile, challenging transport policy and strategy projects in London and Nottingham. 

Within my first few weeks, I travelled down to London to get involved with a study for Transport for London to understand the pedestrian behavioural factors that impact safety. The aim of the project is to develop a light touch street design response to help reduce road danger for pedestrians. With a strong background in statistical analysis from my university degree, I was part of the analysis team performing the majority of the statistical testing for the study.  

Support and training

Less than a month into my time at ITP, I was encouraged to join the PTRC 20-week Birmingham Lecture Series, a training course designed to give new transport planners an overview of the different sectors within the industry. This has been immensely valuable to me, as I had a limited background in the transport sector when I first started at the company, but I have already learnt a great deal.

I am also part of ITP's Graduate Training Programme, which provides a flexible structure to graduates’ learning experience. During my first few months, I've been working as part of the Transport Policy and Strategy team, but over the next few years I'll also spend time with the Development Planning, Smarter Travel, Public Transport, and International teams to develop a broad range of experience across a variety of transport planning disciplines.

Senior colleagues have been very helpful in developing the technical skills that I learnt at university, such as GIS, and guiding me through their application in real-world projects. I feel assured that my personal development is taken very seriously by the company and that, if I feel that I need to improve a certain skill or gain experience in a certain area, my colleagues would do everything they could to point me in the right direction, allowing me to decide my career path.

If you've recently graduated and would be interested in joining ITP, we're currently hiring for new Graduate Consultants to join our growing teams. Click here to find out about the role and how to apply.