Environmental Assistant Review

As an environmental assistant on the CPS M25 Project I oversee our air quality programme, complete environmental impact assessments at all levels for schemes, work with sustainability on social value and sustainability reporting, a green travel plan, climate vulnerability assessments, ISO14001 auditing, waste auditing, scheme and EIA auditing. On a day to day basis, I answer emails and have teams calls, some site visits for auditing purposes, GIS tasks, report typing and excel spreadsheet work.

Yes, I have learnt how to use ArcGIS pro using esri, through team members and external training. I have learnt how to complete environmental impact assessments, how to report social value data such as volunteering and training data, and enviornment data such as electricity and water readings. I have learnt how to monitor and analyse data such as air quality data.

I enjoy work and university. My daily tasks are good, I get a lot of help if and when required from all different members of the team. I have been given the opportunity to work broadly across the environment and sustainability team such as with ecology and landscape. I have been given responsibilities and tasks that are mine to oversee, and it is nice to be given that responsibility. The teaching and assistance at university is good.

The programme at first and at stages throughout could have been better organised, for example we were asked to keep a learning log in our second or third year of university and had to backlog 2 years of lectures and study. Some parts could have been communicated more clearly, but overall it has been pretty well structured.

Balfour Beatty have offered great support throughout my apprenticeship. I take 1 study day a week when I go to university, and then I take a half day on another day to complete assignments, revision etc. If I need additional time and days, I can take this whenever, as long as it doesn't clash with other work commitments such as meeting etc. They are very flexible and allow me to take time whenever I feel it's needed. They also offer a lot of support and help with assignments and other tasks.

Kingston university offer a lot of support, through online teams drop in meetings for Q&As regarding assignments and exams, conversation spaces on canvas (the online university portal) to ask any questions or queries, and lecturers are always available by email and are always open and happy to having teams meeting and in person discussions for support.

My qualification through Kingston university offers me additional skills to help me perform better in my role. For example, the GIS modules at university help me greatly with the GIS work that I do in my role, other modules align with other work that I complete in my role such as a climate change module.

Balfour Beatty, within CPS and wider offer a lot of extra-curricular activities, such as volunteering events, team building events such as Brathay in the lake district and sports events in Birmingham etc.

Yes

There are a lot of great people that work at Balfour Beatty. You are offered a lot of support, and there are so many teams to branch into and to progress to, with such a vast amount of opportunity for growth and development.

Be as openminded as possible, try jobs and roles that you had never considered, and try and meet and network with as many people as possible.