We caught up with Graduate Transport Planner Tom Purnell who joined us in October 2022 as part of Paul Basham Associates' Graduate intake for 2022-23. Here's what a typical day looks like for him.
"I joined Paul Basham Associates as a Graduate Transport Planner in the Southern Office in October 2022 after graduating from university in July 2022. Since joining the team, I have been working through the Graduate Training Programme whilst simultaneously playing an important role on numerous projects we are currently working on.
As a graduate, I assist the more senior members of the team on a number of different projects with writing numerous reports including, Transport Statements, Technical Notes, Travel Plans and implementing Travel Plan Coordination (TPC).
On a typical day, firstly I would come in and check my emails and check if there have been any developments with projects that I am involved in. I then make a ‘to-do’ list of the tasks I will get done that day. Once I am set up my work predominantly involves report writing and using CAD to design accesses or to undertake tracking and TPC work.
Since I have joined Paul Basham Associates, I have worked on a variety of different projects, from smaller residential sites to large strategic sites and commercial units. This has certainly kept the job refreshing, interesting and challenging. I’ve learnt that no two jobs are quite the same, with each job having their own challenges. Despite this I do enjoy the problem solving element of the work we do. I also enjoy getting to go out on site (even in the rain!) as this helps me to visualise different problems that are not always clear from a desk based assessment.
Outside of work I spend a lot of time seeing friends, playing football, golf and going to the gym."
