At 4way, we believe in supporting the development of future talent across the transport technology sector. So, when the opportunity arose to host Oliver Constable from National Highways for an apprenticeship placement focused on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), we were delighted to get involved.

Understanding how vital on-the-job experience is for apprentices, especially when it comes to building their technical portfolios, our team designed a placement programme that combined practical project involvement with tailored guidance and mentorship. Here’s what Oliver had to say about his time with us:

” As an apprentice, to realise the value from university modules I am expected to put my learning into practice in projects at work, which forms the basis of my technical portfolio. 4way Consulting kindly offered me a placement within their team to provide me with experience in a wide variety of ITS related projects. The team were fantastic at understanding the requirements for my apprenticeship programme. They specifically tailored a detailed plan of projects I could assist with to target each of my apprenticeship objectives. This was extremely beneficial and enabled me to forecast which objectives I would be able to evidence.

During my placement with 4way, I took part in a wide variety of projects in areas such as electrical installations, visual surveys, data analytics, information management, service management, and traffic signals design. The 4way team were always friendly, inclusive, and provided support when needed, creating a great environment for learning and development.

The experience was received very well and sparked my interest in certain areas of ITS, namely traffic signals, influencing me to pursue the area further post programme.

Initially I didn’t know what to expect, however, the placement clearly exceeded my expectations. After completing the placement, I felt very positive about the skills I had developed and the amount of evidence I had gained for my technical portfolio.

My action plan for now is to build upon the skills learnt from the placement and gain more experience in ITS, specifically in traffic signals. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with 4way. I would be keen to do something similar in future as it was very valuable experience and a great team to collaborate with.”

It was a pleasure to work with such an engaged and motivated individual, and we’re proud to have played a part in Oliver’s journey toward a career in ITS. Supporting early careers professionals is an important part of what we do at 4way, and we remain committed to creating opportunities that help shape the next generation of transport engineers and specialists.