Insights What's working in Maritime really like at AtkinsRéalis?

Hi, I'm Tenele Khoza, Assistant Maritime Engineer. After graduating in 2016 with a BSc. in Civil Engineering, I started working for a large South African maritime contractor. After two years, I returned to university full-time for my Masters in Ports and Coastal Engineering (Civil Engineering). Two years later, I joined the Ports and Terminals team at a global engineering consultancy. After three years there, I joined AtkinsRéalis.

Finding my opportunity inside AtkinsRéalis

I saw a LinkedIn post advertising AtkinsRéalis' virtual career fair, and I decided to register. On the day, I met a few members of the AtkinsRéalis team who were very friendly and welcoming. When I asked about career opportunities in the company, they were keen for me to join the maritime team—and encouraged me to apply.

What do you do as an Assistant Maritime Engineer?

The key skills required for my role are design experience in maritime engineering and collaborative and network behaviors to interface with other disciplines. What I enjoy the most about my role is working with a strong team of experienced Engineers on several projects.

At AtkinsRealis, there's always something interesting going on.

My highlight since joining AtkinsRéalis has been working with Senior Engineers that I see as 'Legends' in the industry. Getting to learn from them has been inspiring. I was so excited when I was invited to join the Workshop Helpers for the PIANC Conference. PIANC enables global professionals to collaborate in developing sustainable infrastructure for waterborne transport. Our role on the day was introducing the PIANC Report WG 167: The Design of Terminals for RoRo and RoPax vessels.

Supported to progress by everyone around me

My team encourages me to get more career exposure by attending and participating in industry events and conferences. I enjoyed submitting my Master's Thesis Abstract to the PIANC De Paepe-Willems Award for Young Professionals and the Global Technical Water Summit.

Inside AtkinsRéalis, every voice matters.

I feel that the diversity values of AtkinsRéalis around 'Different Makes a Difference' are successful. I haven't encountered any limitations or barriers to my career growth, which is very important to me. In the coming years, I look forward to getting registered as a Chartered Engineer, managing projects, and continuing to grow and enjoy exposure within the maritime industry.

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