A coffee with… our student summer placements
Article posted on: 28 July 2023
Our 'A coffee with...' series takes a glimpse into the thoughts and opinions of our colleagues. In this edition, we took the opportunity to catch up with three students who joined us this summer to gain work experience: Adam Taylor and Rokas Venskus at our Glasgow office, and Reilly Simpson at our Liverpool office.
We place great value in encouraging these aspiring engineers to become actively involved, allowing them to immerse themselves in a working office environment and participating in site visits to witness live projects in action. This hands-on experience is integral to our commitment to nurturing the next generation of engineers, reinforcing our core principles of being supportive and inspiring.
Rokas and Reilly have both previously spent time with us for periods of work experience, so we began by asking them what were the factors that influenced their decision to return to Clancy this summer.
Image: Reilly Simpson
Reilly -“I’ve undertaken several summer placements with Clancy during the past five years whilst at university. It’s a friendly team who are always willing to help when required. The range of work tasks and projects available is also interesting, with many different activities to become involved with to further my knowledge and experience whilst keeping the job interesting.
Image: Rokas Venskus
Rokas - The team is a close-knit bunch of engineers, making working in the office a lot easier. The expectations and standards remained high, but the friendly environment eased work pressure and made it more enjoyable. I knew I could learn plenty from the team, as they are all extremely experienced.
Tell us about where you are up to with your studies and what attracted you to pursue a career in engineering.
Image: Adam Taylor
Adam - I am currently studying a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Heriot Watt University, having just completed my third year.
I’ve always been interested in engineering from a young age due to competing in various forms of motorsport. Having a dad who is also an engineer to support me with building quads, moto crossers, karts, and cars has been crucial for my development as a mechanical engineer to gain insight of how different systems work.
Rokas - I’m about to start my fifth and final year at university and hope to finish with a distinction.
Since I was a kid, I have always been interested in how everything around me worked and why it worked the way it did. Pursuing engineering improved my understanding of the world and helped me appreciate little details in design even more.
Reilly - I have just completed five years at Nottingham Trent University. I gained a 2:1 Master’s degree in Civil Engineering, Design and Construction with a sandwich year and graduated in July this year.
I was attracted to pursue a career in engineering as it fits with what I’m good at and am interested in. I’ve always been good at maths and problem-solving, so engineering is a natural progression into a profession.
Why did you choose Clancy for your summer placement?
Reilly - Whilst studying at Birkenhead Sixth Form College I contacted Clancy’s Liverpool office. I asked if I could undertake work experience to understand what civil and structural engineers do and what a job at a design consultancy might involve.
This work experience opened my eyes to the world of engineering and the range of projects I could be involved with. It also showed me how a good office and team environment works. The staff here have made me feel involved and part of their team. This subsequently developed into several summer placements, allowing me to develop my design skills and allow a better understanding for the next academic year.
Clancy kindly accommodated my request for this latest summer placement which has allowed me to gain further valuable experience now that I have completed my degree and before taking a short sabbatical to travel in South-East Asia.
Image: A recently completed residential scheme undertaken by the team - Hallmeadow, Annan
Rokas - The wide variety of projects undertaken by Clancy significantly influenced my choice. I knew I could learn various things from each project, no matter how big or small.
Adam - I was looking to gain some engineering experience in a professional setting over the summer. Knowing that Clancy is a great company to be a part of through seeing examples of their projects, I didn’t hesitate once I was offered the placement.
What's it like working at Clancy? Have you had an opportunity to put your learning into practice?
Rokas - Last summer, I joined Clancy having little appreciation for structural engineering. However, through that period, I have grown to appreciate it more which helped me massively at university and made it one of my best subjects. This allowed me to have better design ideas at work.
Reilly - In the Liverpool office there’s a good balance between work and fun. Everyone is helpful if you get stuck with something and the other engineers are willing to discuss and suggest explanations and potential solutions, as well as any improvements for future problems. They also gave me advice on what steps to take next if I was unsure of how to progress.
I’ve had many opportunities to put my learning experiences into practice applying this both at university in completing the design and practical study tasks, and at Clancy using my skills for the tasks and projects I have been involved with.
Image: Adam has learnt about the new lighting scheme we have designed on this project - Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow
Adam - Working at Clancy is a very pleasant experience due to the positive nature of the office and due to the ease of receiving help from fellow engineers in the office. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to put my learning into practice by working on various jobs designing different systems, calculating requirements for different buildings and making drawings for services on CAD.
What’s been your project highlights during your time at Clancy, and what challenges have you come across?
Reilly - One of my highlights has been working on projects associated with the new Everton stadium. As an Everton fan it's nice to know that something I’ve been involved with is part of the club I support. It’s also great to see how the projects I was involved with during my previous placements with Clancy have evolved and progressed.
Rokas - My most enjoyable challenges so far have been carrying out designs around site constraints whilst still satisfying the client's requests.
Adam - A highlight for me is that I have had the opportunity to visit some of the sites we will be working on, in particular our EGGER Barony project, which allowed me to see how building services engineering design is incorporated into larger industrial buildings.
And finally, where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Rokas - I would like to either have achieved chartership or be on track to becoming chartered.
Adam - In 10 years, I see myself being a Chartered mechanical engineer settled in the industry I pursue.
Reilly - I would like to have achieved professional qualifications as an ICE & IStructE Chartered engineer, and to have gained along the way other such qualifications to improve my knowledge and understanding and to be the best engineer I can be.
I’d also like to be able to pass on my knowledge to people who are progressing in their careers, as the Clancy team has done with me.
To find out more about a career with Clancy and to view our current vacancies, take a look at our careers page.