Abimbola Olaleye

I currently work as a Quantity Surveyor at Crane Homes Ltd in the capital city of Nigeria, Abuja. This was where I was originally working before I got study leave to come over to the University of Leeds after which I returned to complete the project I started. Currently, I plan, coordinate and manage site-wide logistics, oversee material purchases, employment of labourers and contractors, compile the Bill of Quantities as well as other contract documents and prepare cash flow forecasts for construction works embarked upon together with a team of construction workers. I also mentor and train interns on the principles and practices of quantity surveying.

My experience at ITS has helped tremendously. It has helped my relational and communicative abilities, as I work in a multi-racial organisation and at ITS I learnt to relate to a lot of people. It improved my confidence, thanks to all the presentations and interviews I had to carry out during my time in ITS especially during my dissertation. It really improved my writing skills and has helped me learn to pay attention to detail (thanks to the course works and the plagiarism checks). I can write very good correspondence at my place a work, in my own words. It also equipped me with such knowledge that has helped me plunge into the next phase of my life which is to pick up a career in transport planning as I have a passion for the accessibility challenges in Nigeria and am willing to be one of the solution providers. I recently got an appointment as an Assistant Lecturer in the department of Transport Management Technology at the Federal University of Technology, Akure and will be resuming in October. This for me is just the beginning of my dreams and one of the reasons I came to ITS.

ITS also helped me see the world more, I was able to travel to places I never thought I would go to in recent time (Euro trip) and this gave me a wider picture from the norm of what life can be if we decide to make it happen. Overall I am really excited I did come to ITS.

The first thing that made me choose ITS was the credibility I had read about the Institute. When I searched the Internet looking for information on transport studies, ITS always came up. There was also a scholarship (Commonwealth shared scholarship) for the course at the Institute which was one of the greatest motivations I had. When I was applying to study at ITS I had insufficient funds for my tuition and living expenses, so the scholarship was much needed and timely. The multi-racial environment at the University was also attractive. The City of Leeds also influenced my decision as I realised the city was not as busy as London and that I liked.

Transport Planning and Engineering is a great course to study at ITS, it gives you a feel of the social sciences and engineering, which equips you and makes you well rounded. You can decide to be a policy professional, a planner, an engineer or all three by studying this course which for me is an edge. You can fit in almost anywhere. The thing is you have got to get ready to work, learn and improve, and trust me; you will be a much better person with a lot of promising opportunities when you are done. Make up your mind to enjoy your stay at Leeds and you would not regret it. I am better for it and I trust you will be also.