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Careers>What
our graduates say about us
What our graduates say
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Mei Ki Yip
Analyst
London |
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I joined MVA Consultancy in October 2006 as an Analyst in the Transport Modelling and Monitoring team in the London office. I graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a first degree in Civil Engineering and moved to London to study for an MSc in Transport and Business Management at Imperial College London. MVA Consultancy is very supportive of people from different backgrounds. This culture helped me to adapt to working in the UK and to develop a sense of belonging soon after I joined.
From my first day at MVA Consultancy, I have been involved in the London Congestion Charging Monitoring project and my responsibilities within the project team grew with time. The scale and the nature of this project have enabled me to gain a thorough understanding of the Capital and I have found this knowledge very useful in many aspects. I have also been involved in using the London Transportation Studies (LTS) Model, which is a strategic multi-modal travel forecasting model covering Greater London. We have applied this model to develop an understanding of the impacts of potential major transport schemes in London. MVA Consultancy has a long history of involvement with LTS and my work on LTS has consolidated my understanding of transport modelling theory and practice. In addition to these two major projects, I have also benefited from working on a wide variety of other projects, gaining technical skills in database development, choice modelling and GIS data manipulation; as well as transferable skills in report writing, presentation and work management.
The MVA Consultancy Graduate Development Programme has allowed me to appreciate the significance of my work and to keep a structured record of my achievements. During the quarterly reviews I discuss and plan my career development with my reviewer who went through the GDP process herself and is ready to offer valuable advice and guidance. I very much appreciate the fact that I am never left alone in the GDP process. MVA Consultancy is very supportive of professional training - I have been sponsored to take a series of evening lectures in traffic and transport in addition to a number of transport modelling courses I requested to attend. All these experiences not only deepened my professional knowledge but also offered great networking opportunities with professionals in the industry.
On the social side, MVA Consultancy has been the proud organizer of the "Transport Planning Olympics" for three consecutive years. The Olympics feature both serious track and field events as well as something lighter for fun. The London office also arranges bi-monthly social events in addition to some festive events to celebrate Christmas and Halloween etc. The latest innovative idea implemented by our London social event committee featured a Jack-the-Ripper Tour in London's East End. I found the tour absolutely intriguing!
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Leighton Cardwell
Analyst
Birmingham |
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I am based in MVA Consultancy’s Birmingham office, which I joined in 2006 after completing an MSc in Transport Planning from the University of Leeds, and BA Geography at Oxford. From your very first contact with MVA Consultancy there is a sincerity and interest in you that permeates each element of your career and aspirations, whether it be in your initial objective setting or training needs, right through to your project work and career development. This even includes the application process!
You can expect to work within a number of different teams, drawn from your own as well as other offices, allowing technical expertise and good practice to be combined with your own thoughts, innovations and ideas in terms of realising the full potential of each project you work on. In short, you’re given the opportunity to help make a difference and the substantial, yet structured, autonomy in undertaking project work is good for your development.
I have been involved in a number of projects across the Midlands and the North utilising both existing and newly created transport models within the full range of transport ‘disciplines’. For each, you can expect to be given the opportunity to manage the delivery of certain tasks almost immediately, as well as allowing your own thoughts and recommendations to be acted on. This allows the work you do to be treated as your own; with your own advice and conclusions directly disseminated to clients through both reports and direct face to face contact at meetings. Whether it is work for our clients in Birmingham, Derby, Leicester, Manchester, Nottingham or Sheffield, your input and skills will be utilised from project inception and structuring, right through to its delivery and overall conclusions.
As a result, the office atmosphere is inclusive and supportive for both its work and social aspects. A number of events are organised- from our monthly cheese and wine tastings, to go-karting and comedy club trips, as well as our annual team building events arranged at venues across the UK. Each provides an opportunity for interaction and the further strengthening of the ties you’ll naturally develop as an integral part of MVA Consultancy’s project teams. |
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Laura Hunt
Researcher
Manchester |
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I joined MVA Consultancy in November 2006 after completing an MA in Sociological Research at the University of Sheffield. I’m based in the Research Team at the Manchester office and my work is primarily focused on Social and Market Research. However, I have been involved in a variety of projects, covering both transport and non-transport related topics. I have participated in research for the rail industry, utility organisations and central/local government. These projects have allowed me to gain experience of a range of research techniques, including: survey design and analysis, focus group moderation and structured interviewing. In addition to assisting with analysis and report writing, I have also helped with proposal writing, attended inception meetings and presented research findings to clients.
The Graduate Development Programme (GDP) has added a further dimension to the skills and knowledge which I have so far acquired. I have been able to shape my career development in consultation with my personal supervisor and seek out both internal and external training opportunities. MVA Consultancy has supported my membership of the Social Research Association (SRA) and encouraged me to attend and present at the European Transport Conference.
Whilst MVA has provided a stimulating and rewarding environment in which to work, the office is also very sociable. The active and friendly atmosphere that is prevalent throughout the offices make MVA an enjoyable place to work.
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David Pierce
Analyst
Woking |
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I am based in the Woking office and joined MVA Consultancy with an MA in Transport Economics from the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds. Prior to this I completed an MA (Hons) in Economics and an MLitt in Management, Economics and International Relations at the University of St Andrews.
Since joining MVA I have spent most of my time working on the Bahrain Integrated Transport Strategy which involves the development of a multi-modal model for Bahrain. The model is being developed to estimate the effects of introducing major public transport systems to the country and includes the large developments planned for land reclaimed from the sea. My tasks have included analysing demand and survey data to create input files of zonal data for population, employment, school places, students, tourists, and leisure and retail trips for the forecast years. I have also contributed to the coding of the base year model and coded the highway and public transport network for the forecast years. Being involved on the project has also given me the opportunity to travel to Bahrain and MVA’s office in Dubai.
In addition to the Bahrain model, I have also been involved in demand monitoring using data from Croydon Tramlink. This has involved the development of a spreadsheet-based model for the assimilation and presentation of data from automatic passenger counts (APC).
Since joining MVA I have attended several training days for different modelling packages. I have found the Graduate Development Programme (GDP) really useful for identifying relevant training courses and it also encourages the development of skills across a wide variety of areas.
The atmosphere in the office is friendly and there are many opportunities to get involved in social activities. There is something to do virtually every night of the week including football, bowling, badminton (which I organise), cycling or just going to the pub. There is also an annual team-building trip, golf day, and organised trips to the Peak District and Lake District.
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Laura Price
Analyst
Edinburgh |
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| I joined MVA Consultancy in July 2006 as a Transport Analyst in the Edinburgh office after graduating from the University of Sheffield with a BA in Geography and Sociology. Upon joining I became involved in working on two of Scotland’s Regional Transport Strategies, SEStran and TACTRAN. My roles in these projects were quite varied but specifically provided the opportunity to gain training from colleagues in Geographic Information Systems(GIS), which I was then able to put to use in the projects to illustrate patterns in transport and land-use data.
Since January 2007 I have been working full time within the Fares & Ticketing division which has helped me to gain in-depth knowledge of one of the biggest projects in our office. We are currently working on the National Transport Application for the Scottish Government which involves implementing a new smart card infrastructure to handle concessionary travel claims in Scotland. The project is extremely varied and we work closely with national bus and ferry operators, in addition to local and national government. The job has involved quite a bit of travelling within Scotland and Wales, which provides me with the opportunity to see the results of our projects in actual operation.
The Graduate Development Programme (GDP) enables graduates to keep a structured account of the work they have undertaken, and set targets accordingly. Some of the work I have been involved in to date was not listed as targets within the mainstream GDP, so I worked with my reviewer to ‘agree my own targets’ and work towards these rather than trying to fit my work around the programme.
Edinburgh is a lovely city to work in, and the office has a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The numerous social activities which are arranged provide a good opportunity to get to know your colleagues better, both from your own office and throughout the whole company. Everyone in our office is extremely approachable, and there is none of this ‘office hierarchy’ which I think can be intimidating to graduates entering work for the first time. I feel like my contribution to projects is valued, and I don’t feel like I’m just ‘one in a sea of many’ as might be the case in some big organisations.
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