Erin Ruddy, Transport Planning Apprentice, CAPITA receiving her trophy from Matthew Lugg, CIHT President at the CIHT Young Professionals Conference 2018 ‘The Future of Transport’ held in Leeds today.

Erin was presented with her award trophy by Matthew Lugg, President, CIHT before an audience of 200 industry professionals at the CIHT Young Professionals Conference 2018 entitled ‘The Future of Transport’ held at the studio, Riverside West Whitehall Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The five apprentice shortlisted candidates also attended the event and have been asked to become more involved in the future activities of CIHT. The event was designed and planned by the CIHT Young Professionals Network (YPN). 

Erin Ruddy said:

“I was surprised and delighted to win the award. My apprenticeship has taught me valuable personal and professional skills and I have been working on my own development, but I didn’t expect to win. This has made me believe in myself a bit more and gives me the confidence to keep pursuing my career in transport.”

The CIHT National Apprentice of the Year Award celebrates the talent and value that apprentices bring to the transportation sector and highlights their importance in the industry. The Award also reflects the commitment of industry leaders who are putting apprenticeship training and skills at the heart of their businesses to create a pipeline of sector professionals. The CIHT judging panel comprised Martin Tugwell, Senior Vice President, CIHT; Edward Downer, Chair, Young Professionals Network, CIHT and Andrew Hugill, Director, Policy and Technical Affairs, CIHT.

Martin Tugwell, Senior Vice President, CIHT said:

I would like to congratulate Erin Ruddy on being recognised as the CIHT National Apprentice of the Year in 2018. Erin stood out with her professional and inclusive approach, clearly showing the benefit of a collaborative approach to place shaping. Erin’s ability to engage with her audience and to sell with passion demonstrated her future leadership qualities. CIHT’s activities in the region are already benefiting from Erin’s involvement.

All our shortlisted candidates demonstrate tremendous ambition, energy and purpose in wanting to make a difference in their chosen sectors and as ambassadors for the profession. It is heartening to see such a strong response from their employers demonstrating commitment to growing expertise and inclusivity from the ground up. It was an absolute joy to spend time with all the shortlisted candidates. The judging panel was inspired by the contributions these young professionals are already making.

David Wall, Associate Director, NT Highway Design, Real Estate & Infrastructure, CAPITA who championed Erin for the award said:

Erin is the first transport planning apprentice in our business. She has brought enthusiasm, drive and the belief to succeed. She has excelled in her academic studies, shown through her results and feedback from the college, as well as her understanding of the transport sector. Erin’s excitement and thirst for knowledge is rubbing off on others across her team, which is great to see. With support from her mentors and peers, I am confident she will continue to exceed expectations and be one of those next-generation leaders in her field.

CIHT’s judging panel invited shortlisted candidates to demonstrate how they make a positive impact in highways and transportation by:

• Commitment - Embracing the challenge of a demanding work placement and study programme in the changing landscape of highways and transportation.
• Contribution - Going above and beyond the expectation of their roles on one or more projects or initiatives.
• Future - Identifying the attributes that will enable their future success in the industry and inspire others to follow a similar route.

The five other shortlisted candidates are:

• Connor Coupland, Asset Development Apprentice, A One + Integrated Highway Services since September 2017 based in Normanton, West Yorkshire.
• Oscar Davies, Apprentice Quantity Surveyor, Kier Services, Highways since September 2017 based in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
• Jemma Gilman, Transport Planning Apprentice, HS2 Ltd since September 2017 based in Birmingham.
• Joel Shevlin, Apprentice Transport Planner, Atkins Member of the SNC-Lavalin Group since September 2016 based in Manchester.
• Georgia Woloszczak, Apprentice Transport Planner, WSP since September 2016 based in Leeds. 

For more information please contact:

Daniel Isichei, Director of Communications,Daniel.Isichei@ciht.org.uk t: +44(0)20 7336 1567 m: 07912 122573 www.ciht.org.uk