Andrés Alcalá

I'm currently working as an urban transport specialist in CAF, Latin American Development Bank –, from Montevideo, Uruguay which is the south regional HUB of CAF. I have under my scope the following countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. I´m developing two main activities in my job: regional cooperation with knowledge generation and technical support, for the origination and evaluation of credit operations related to urban transport.

My experience at ITS has helped in my job and career a lot. Thanks to ITS I was able to start as a Transport Consultant in a Spanish company that contacted me through ITS. I worked for that company for 12 years in Madrid and in Bogota using the tools that I learned at Leeds: planning, modelling, appraisal, etc...

I originally chose my ITS course and the University of Leeds because it is one of the most recognized transport departments in the world.

My advice to students interested in this course and a career in transport is to enjoy and take more advantages of the course and the teaching staff. It is also recommended to have some work experience in the sector. In that way, you can make the most of it!

The ITS employer visits was a good way to understand the British market and the worldwide perception of British consultancy. If you want to work in other countries it is recommended to investigate this further. I got a job from a post that a Spanish Company made in ITS.

The highlight of my career so far would be that I was able to open and manage the branch office of a Spanish Company in Colombia, and it was a big challenge with excellent results. However, in my current position, I´m able to help developing countries and cities with huge needs for building better transport and mobility for the future, and that gives you incredible satisfaction.

As an international student, my advice to other ITS international students who are seeking work in the transport sector is that in many parts of the world ITS is well known as one of the leaders in the transport field, if you are complement this opportunity with some experience in land planning and environmental principles, you might have the main requirements to make a career in this sector.