Groundforce Placement Student Wins Top Award

15 Dec

Congratulations to Steven Taylor, pictured here receiving his certificate for ‘Outstanding Performance on Placement 2014/2015’ from Professor Peter Jimack, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Leeds.

Steven gained success in a year which saw over 50 high quality nominations and this accolade underpins the valuable contribution he has made to the Technical Department while on student placement at Groundforce’s Morley operation.  

Design Manager Emma McKeen, who helped guide Steven through his placement year, was particularly impressed with his positive attitude and resolve. Resourcefulness is one of Steven’s key attributes and Emma speaks highly of his willingness to voluntarily step in and help the team when needed:

“Steven has made a lasting impression on everyone here at Groundforce”, explains Emma. “He performed a central role by using his own initiative and demonstrating maturity and professionalism throughout the year. As a result, he has been offered a position in the company following his graduation and Groundforce will continue to support him through the final two years of his MEng in Civil and Environmental Engineering.”

Groundforce’s StudyLink initiative has become a pivotal factor in attracting the highest calibre graduates. Tony Gould, Technical Director at Groundforce, believes the programme is an excellent way of blending education with professional experience, as well as helping to forge closer links with local universities. “It is becoming instrumental in securing a steady flow of talented individuals to the company”, Tony comments:

“Student placements are an excellent way for students to gain work hardened experience at an early stage of their career and this produces more rounded and employable graduates. Steven is one of a number of excellent undergraduates to come through our placement process and in this case will return to us as a fully qualified and experienced engineer on completion of his studies.”