Martin Lewis

What was your role and responsibilities during your industrial placement?

I was responsible for helping edit and collate parts of the West Yorkshire Connectivity Strategy. I also helped develop the prioritisation methodology for Zero Emission Bus routes, and helped research and present information on car sharing commercial frameworks, among other administrative tasks.

Did your degree prepare you for the placement? 

Yes, the introduction to Business Cases in our Transport Integrated Project was useful because I was familiar with them when I came to my placement. The modules “Shaping Future Transport Systems” and “Analysing Transport and Society” gave me a lot of the knowledge needed to consider best practice when completing zero-emission bus work, and also gave me good background knowledge to make the most of observing and listening to professionals in current projects.

What was the best aspect of the placement?

The best aspect was being able to experience things I’d heard about it my degree within a professional environment. For example, I had the opportunity to observe how the public and private sector work together, including the tender process for projects. I also enjoyed being able to complete work on zero-emission buses and present this to local stakeholders for feedback.

How has your career progressed since your placement?

I was actually lucky enough to get two internships and I’m currently completing the second one at TfGM whilst applying for and interviewing for graduate schemes, hopefully to start in September. I’ve been enjoying helping TfGM with more zero-emission bus work, which has been especially exciting as they’ve just made the decision to franchise Greater Manchester’s bus services.

What would you say to current students thinking about doing a placement?

I’d say go for it. My team at WYCA were very welcoming and supportive. They were also eager to provide a well-structured placement, with goals that were deliverable within the timeframe of four months, so I could get as much value out of it as possible. For anyone thinking of working in transport in the public sector, it was a great introduction that would definitely help you decide if it was the right career path for you.