November 2009
Two Halcrow graduates have been shortlisted for the prestigious NCE graduate awards taking place on Friday 4 December 2009. This is the first time a company has had two finalists in one year.
Chris Lloyd, 24, from Halcrow’s Swindon office and Natalie Ward, also 24, from its Glasgow office are on a shortlist of only six graduate civil engineers picked from 120 entries for the Graduate of the Year award.
The six graduates faced a gruelling intensive interview and will now attend a lunchtime ceremony in a bid to win the first prize of £1,000.
The awards are open to anyone who graduated from an ICE accredited civil, structural – or related – engineering first degree course, or MSc postgraduate course, during 2008.
The MSc must have followed on directly after the first degree without a gap between the two courses. A graduate currently pursuing any other relevant post graduate degree is also eligible so long as the first, or MSc degree, was completed in 2008.
Entrants were judged on all-round ability; not only looking at academic and work-related achievements, but also their enthusiasm for civil engineering.
Chris graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Masters in Civil and Structural Engineering in June 2008. In September of the same year he joined Halcrow’s bridges team in Swindon, after several successful summer placements.
Chris said:
“I am delighted to have made the shortlist of finalists for this year’s NCE graduate awards and would like to thank my Halcrow colleagues for their support and advice. It was a very welcome surprise and provided an excellent opportunity for me to experience the rigorous interview techniques of an ICE panel.
“I am very much looking forward to the awards ceremony on 4 December and the opportunity to win this prestigious award.”
Natalie graduated from Strathclyde University with a Masters in Civil Engineering and Environmental Management in 2008, before joining Halcrow’s maritime team in its Glasgow office.
Speaking of her nomination, Natalie said:
“I am thrilled to be put forward for this award as a representative for Halcrow and for Scotland.
I was very surprised to be a finalist and this was only possible due to the support from Halcrow as a both a graduate and student.
Hopefully being a finalist will help me work towards improving the perception of engineering and getting more engineers into school promoting the profession and making the engineers of the future”.