Women in Engineering day – Safia shares her experience

“I’m not one of those people who always knew they wanted to be an engineer but I did know that I wanted a job where I could make a difference to people’s lives. For me Civil Engineering is a great way to do that. Designing and building infrastructure has a huge impact on people’s lives and Civil Engineers are behind so many things we take for granted; the water treatment plants which provide people with clean water, the hospitals to bring people health care, the schools and universities to educate people, and so much more.

One of my greatest achievements to date has been managing a solar panel hub project to bring power to a medical centre in rural Cameroon (Africa) as part of a charity project. In my day to day work my focus is on bridge projects; connecting communities by road, rail and foot. A lot of problem solving and teamwork goes into these projects, no two days are the same and you are constantly challenged, but that is why I love my job.”

Safia Whitwham is an Assistant Site Manager for Osborne’s Gade Valley Viaduct project in Hertfordshire.