Under the Spotlight with Shaan Novitzki

Shaan is an Assistant Transport Planner in our Southampton office, who started the company as a graduate just over 2 year ago. Since joining the team she has completed our Graduate Programme, been promoted to Assistant and become an integral part of the business.

Did you know a lot about Transport Planning when you started? No, I actually studied Geography at university, so I was a complete novice when it came to Transport Planning. I had undertaken some work experience in Emergency Planning at my local council, which helped me to realise that I was interested in transport and the operation/design of the road network.

How did the graduate programme help you to become an Assistant Transport Planner? The graduate programme taught me the basics of being a Transport Planner, by getting exposure to a wide variety of projects and aspect of the profession. As a graduate you get to be a part of the team, go on site visits and receive on-the-job training. I had a one-to-one mentor who helped to guide me and teach me how to use CAD and explain what Manual for Streets is!

Do you have any advice for graduates interested in a career in Transport Planning? My advice would be to look at planning applications online for developments and review the reports prepared by the highways consultants. This will help you understand the type of work that each project involves and what aspects we focus on as Transport Planners.

What does your job involve? As an assistant, I am involved in a number of project where I spend my time, drafting fee proposals, writing Transport Statements, Technical Notes, Travel Plans and implementing Travel Plan Coordination. I also have the opportunity to undertake site visits and attend meetings, as well as starting to learn the ropes of project management! As a member of our marketing team I am also in charge of our social media accounts and I try to find interesting case studies or topics to shout about on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

 

How do you spend a typical day? On a typical day, I first check my emails and make a ‘to-do’ list. My work predominantly involves report writing and using CAD to design accesses or to undertake tracking and visibility splay exercises. As my role is progressing towards becoming a Transport Planner, I am often involved in writing fee proposals, project managing and liaising with clients and the local highway authority.

What do you enjoy most about your role? I think I would have to say, that I mostly enjoy the team work and communication our job requires, not just with our internal team but with the wider project team. It allows you to talk to different people and learn more about other aspects of the project.