Careers

A career in highways and transportation offers an exciting and extensive range of opportunities for you to make the world a better place now, and for generations to come.

Whether you are just starting out in your career in highways & transportation or are an experienced professional, CIHT can help to support your ongoing professional development and /or guide you towards the career path of your choice.

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Careers in Highways & Transportation

With a career in highways and transportation, you can:

  • Shape your environment.
  • Contribute to a sustainable society.
  • Tackle big issues like lowering carbon in transport.
  • Make an impact locally, nationally, and internationally.
  • Gain experience in a range of roles, including but not limited to, planning, designing, building, operating, and maintaining transport networks, EDI, decarbonisation, promoting safety and encouraging health and well-being.
  • Develop a broad range of skills that enable you to be creative, organise and manage projects, bring about change, work in multidisciplinary teams, communicate with people and solve challenging technical problems.
  • Use your transferable skills to work on different transport networks, such as roads, railways, airports and ports.

Don't just take our word for it

 

Meet CIHT Member Meg Scott.  

Meg was shortlisted for the CIHT Apprentice of the Year Award in 2022 and also received the CIHT Scotland Apprentice of the Year 2020 award.  

She is now an Environmental Civil Engineer currently working at AECOM in the Glasgow Streets team focusing on active and sustainable travel.  

The goal of environmental engineering is to ensure that societal development and the use of water, land and air resources are sustainable. This goal is achieved by managing these resources so that environmental pollution and degradation is minimized.

 

We asked Meg what is it like working in highways and transportation. Meg says:

“Highways and Transportation is a vast engineering sector from designing streetscapes to trunk road and motorway design that can impact the entire nation. If you care about sustainability and the nation's goal of net-zero you too can start a career working in highways and transportation and help take the steps to tackle the climate emergency.”

 

 

Meet Kim Bartlett

Kim is Head of Lighting for Introba Consulting and CIHT STEM Ambassador. Kim’s days are spent working on lighting assessments and designs for all facets of the built environment, including highways and transportation hubs, amenity areas, ports, warehousing, buildings (inside and out), Dark Sky Parks, and everything in between.   

Kim started her career in Highways and Transportation with a Level 3 Electrical and Electronic Engineering apprenticeship on day release.  

Kim now inspires the next generation with her CIHT STEM Ambassador activities. Kim is an exceptional STEM Ambassador and completed 27 STEM activities over 191 volunteer hours in 2022. 

Routes into Highways and Transportation 

There are lots of routes into highways and transportation so you can find the right one for you. With the support of CIHT you can start and progress your career. 

Apprenticeships - An apprenticeship is a paid job which offers hands-on work experience alongside off-the-job training.

University Courses - Diplomas; Bachelor Degrees; Foundation Degrees; Post-Graduate Degrees. Full-time courses.

CIHT Jobs - Jobs that are currently available within the highways and transportation sector

Take the Engineering Mastermind Quiz 

Are you interested in a career in transport engineering or transport planning? Test your knowledge, collect badges and learn as you go. Take the Engineering Mastermind quiz - scroll down to the bottom of the 'Topics' to select transport engineering, asset management or transport planning questions and test your knowledge

If you are a teacher or careers advisor please contact us professionaldevelopment@ciht.org.uk to find out more about organising a CIHT STEM ambassador visit or using the CIHT careers resources.

 

Advancing Your Career

If you are already working in highways and transportation, CIHT can support you to progress your career:

Professional Qualifications

Professional qualifications recognise your knowledge and practical experience and improve your opportunities as you progress in your chosen career.  You can achieve CEng, IEng, EngTech and Chartered Transport Planning Professional through CIHT.

Continuing Professional Development

Whether you are just starting out in your career in highways & transportation or an experienced professional, CIHT can help to support your ongoing continuing professional development (CPD) needs. CPD can help you with your career development and is a way to ensure your skills and knowledge remain up to date throughout your career and that you can address the challenges facing the sector.

Spending time thinking about your career goals and planning how to achieve them will help you to make the most of any learning opportunities and progress in your career.

CIHT runs online and face to face events which can be used to support your career development

CIHT Learn

CIHT Learn is a digital learning platform, created in bite size chunks of learning by leading industry and academic experts to help you progress and succeed in your highways, transport and infrastructure career. Designed to deliver the insights you need, when you need them, CIHT Learn is about to make learning a lot easier and more convenient for you. CIHT Learn can be accessed when you want, wherever you are, worldwide and is linked directly to your CPD and Professional Development Plan. 

CIHT Jobs

Find your next role in highways and transportation on CIHT Jobs

CIHT STEM Ambassadors

Whether you are an early career professional or more advanced in your career you can help to inspire the next generation by signing up to become CIHT STEM Ambassadors. This not only gives you an opportunity to promote the opportunities in the sector but also gives you access to STEM ambassador training and an opportunity to develop new skills.

If you or anyone you know would like to become a CIHT STEM ambassador, please either contact us at professionaldevelopment@ciht.org.uk for more information, or  sign up directly with STEM Learning.

Become a Reviewer or Mentor

If you are professionally qualified as CEng, IEng, EngTech or CTPP you can become a mentor or reviewer. This provides you with an opportunity to develop skills in mentoring or interviewing as well as supporting other professionals to gain professional recognition. 

Women in Highways and Transportation Careers 

Meet Joanna Lyon. Joanna is a Project Director at WSP and a CIHT STEM Ambassador. Joanna’s route into a career within transport/engineering saw her take a master’s degree course in Engineering Science at Oxford University. When she completed her studies, she was keen to apply her knowledge in real-life, and transport/engineering seemed a good choice. Joanna is now in charge of 200+ people and multi-million-pound developments.  

 

For International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February 2023, CIHT interviewed Joanna on how the highways and transportation sector can inspire more women to join the industry.

When asked, what should highways and transportation organisations do to achieve gender equity in the workplace, Joanna said: 

Reflecting on the difference between equality and equity, organisations can recognise that women have much to offer by bringing a fresh and changing perspective. Achieving gender equity means ensuring that differences are not ignored but embraced, recognising that women and men have different needs and approaching these differences in a way that is positive and effective for all.

 

EDI at CIHT

Here at CIHT we launched our EDI strategy ‘Shifting the Dial’ strategy. The 5-year long strategy aims to break the bias and outlines an ambitious strategy that will use CIHT's position as a strategic influencer and leader in the transport sector to effect change.  

If you would like to read more about women in transport/engineering, there are some inspiring stories to be read here 

 

Become a member of CIHT 

Being a member of CIHT provides you with access to several services which can expand your knowledge, skills and practical experience, thereby improving your chances of progression within your chosen career. 

Get ahead with CIHT Membership - Join other savvy professionals just like you at CIHT.  We are committed to fulfilling your professional development needs throughout your career Find out more 

 

Help and Support 

If you have any further questions please email education@ciht.org.uk or professionaldevelopment@ciht.org.uk

 

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Get ahead with CIHT Membership

Join other savvy professionals just like you at CIHT.  We are  committed to fulfilling your professional development needs throughout your career

Find out more