Profiles THE TALENTED GAME Never has there been such global demand for skilled rail engineers. Viewpoint spoke to Kieran Grundy and Kylee Clayson about working at SNC-Lavalin, and why graduates and experienced professionals can build great careers here Words Andrew Bennett Photos Cordelia Noble L ife as a rail engineer has been through something of a sea change in recent years, but so too has the way most of us have needed to manage our careers since the start of the millennium. Once, to advance your career, you needed to take a single path becoming a manager. Now, thanks to SNC-Lavalins wide portfolio of services and geographical reach, motivated employees can choose to specialise in a technical area for instance, rolling stock engineering andprogress up the career ladder nicely, perhaps without ever needing the title manager on their business card. Also in todays workplace, there are far fewer jobs for life, much greater mobility, and employees need to drive their own career progression rather than letting their employers steer their course. Added demands have been placed by the young millennial generation of workers an impatient and ambitious bunch, who are always looking for the next opportunity and are much less loyal to employers than their parents generation. So theres a mix of challenges in the recruitment market. However while not being complacent SNC-Lavalin feels it is measuring up well in response. There has been recognition, internally and externally, of thecompanys efforts to create a winning workplace. In the Great Place to Work survey, its scores for employee engagement have improved, and the companys Graduate Programme has been shortlisted for a personnel award. Kieran Grundy, HR Director for Europe for Rail & Transit Engineering, and Kylee Clayson, Director for Learning & Development, are pleased with such achievements, but they andtheir staff are striving constantly to make improvements. For example, the Graduate Scheme is under constant review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and supports the real needs of the business. Satisfying millennials But why should someone who has just graduated apply to SNC-Lavalin? Kieran, who joined SNC-Lavalin just three years ago and has made rapid progress, says: Being a millennial myself, I always want to be able to expand on my experience. I have not stood still since I joined, but there is the need for people to manage their own career here. There is a great variety of work here; for more junior people, it allows them to specialise if they want to if they can show they are mobile able to move abroad, for instance then opportunities are available to them. Likewise, opportunities to progress are available for those with young families, who may be less mobile there is no fixed, single route. SNC-Lavalins HR and Learning and Development teams have been on their own journeys of change in recent years, and many of the trainingrequirements can be delivered by on-the-job experience although other methods of learning are accessible. Kylee says: Now, it is more of a partnership in terms of the way we work with managers. Senior management teams have realised they dont need to sheep dip everyone in the same training; they need to be more aligned to business areas and the needs of the organisation. She feels the workplace culture is another attraction to potential new SNC-Lavalin recruits: Even though we are part of a larger organisation now, weve still managed to retain the friendly I know my colleague approach. Whereas other organisations can be, I will watch you going in and out of the door, we have none of that here, she said. Kieran adds: Highly qualified individuals dont need clocking in and out. If you have the drive and the aspiration to go places within the organisation, then there is plenty of opportunity whether that is where you are based at the moment or in a different country. We have the mix. Globally the rail industry is growing, and we recognise we need to move talent across the organisation in order to develop it. If you like an enjoyable, community-driven culture and are Kieran Grundy, HR Director for Europe willing to expand your experience, SNC-Lavalin is the right for Rail & Transit organisation for you at whatever stage of your career you are. Engineering Straight out of university So which tools does SNC-Lavalin use to recruit and retain talent, and enable its people to develop? Some recruitment is done through the Graduate Scheme: two years of initial training, followed by ongoing professional development (see panel story on Lucas Campbell). SNC-Lavalin has built good relationships with a number of universities, and listens to the views of its current and recent graduates constantly. Graduate recruits attend careers fairs on the companys behalf, and students working on their engineering degrees are set projects by managers. These involve them in finding answers to real life business problems and then presenting them. Graduates will rotate through every part of the operational business, says Kieran. They are not prepped solely to be a rolling stock engineer. They will touch infrastructure, sample railway control systems, and experience transport advisory. Only at the end of their two years, can the graduates decide based on business demands which area of the business they would like to specialise in. Kylee adds: The scheme has grown because of the needs of the business from recruiting mechanical and electrical engineers, to civil engineers and operational engineers; and we have gone even further to ask, can we take on technicians? I have not stood still since I joined, but there is the need for people to manage their own career here Kieran Grundy HR Director for Europe for Rail & Transit Engineering Kylee Clayson, Director for Learning & Development Top performance All employees go through a performance review once a year to ensure they are on track with business goals, and this process which the HR director describes as robust is linked to the annual salary review. SNC-Lavalin also seeks to fast track up to five per cent of its employees every year. This means that senior people, who may eventually be running the company, receive particular support to achieve theircareer-progression goals. It also putsin place strategies to help other employees who areless senior, but who could progress rapidly. This could mean an individual is allocated a mentor; they might undertake a six-month stretch assignment something thattakesthem out of their comfort zone, while still being business-driven; they couldgo on secondment; or undertake an SNCLavalin Academy learning programme. We make sure something is happening so they develop over the next 12 months, then we can feed our succession plans, explains Kylee. The learning academy In terms of formal learning courses, SNC-Lavalin has access to a suite of solutions delivered either face to face a method usually favoured by more senior staff or through online learning resources, which millennials and others enjoy. However, the company emphasises that it believes just 10% of a persons learning requirements are fulfilled by a formal course 20% comes from mentoring and networking, while the remaining 70% is from the challenges of the day job. Kieran sums up careers at SNC-Lavalin quite directly: If you want be the next MD of this organisation and are not prepared to do anything about it you will still be sitting at your desk in 10 years time. If you find your own career opportunities and are vocal with your line manager in terms of what interests you, where you need to go, and identifying your training gapsthen you will go far in this organisation. www.snclavalin.com A GREAT CAREER AT ALL STAGES LUCAS CAMPBELL GRADUATE KATE DOBSON HUMAN FACTORS (HF) SENIOR CONSULTANT Lucas, 25, started on the SNC-Lavalin Graduate Scheme in 2014, after his electronic and electrical engineering degree at Loughborough University in the UK. After completing his placements, he joined the new Rail Control Systems (RCS) team in Derby. Born in South Africa, Kate is a Senior HF (ergonomics) Consultant who started her rail industry career nine years ago. Two years ago, she relocated from SNCLavalins UK office in London to Vancouver, where she is establishing a HF team. Lucas said: My final-year university project related to the Railway Challenge competing to build and test a locomotive. SNC-Lavalin also enters this; I saw the company as a big industry player for engineering that promotes Chartership for engineers. Kate said: Human Factors at SNCLavalin is about accommodating the needs of human users in engineering projects. For users such as train drivers, for instance, we would consider the layout of train controls. On the Graduate Scheme, we worked on a heritage railway; then I did a series of varied placements, including Docklands Light Railway (DLR), in London, which invited me back on secondment for billable work. Here, you are responsible for your development and for which placements you do. You need to take the reins. The culture is relaxed and friendly. Graduates should not be afraid to ask questions there really are no stupid ones. I joined the company because I wanted to build my expertise in consulting and I liked the client-facing opportunities offered. These and other opportunities have been fantastic for me; I have been supported by my mentors and managers, and encouraged to pursue everything I wanted. Kate advises people to plan their career paths you do have to take the initiative and added, if people believe in you, there is no limit. snclavalin.com RICHARD WHEELDON ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL ENGINEER Richard began his railway career as an apprentice with British Rail Engineering Ltd (BREL) Carriage and Wagon Works and, more recently, joined Interfleet (as was) in April 2006. I did a five-year apprenticeship in sheet metal work, and was a workshop instructor in the training school, a welding inspector, and a senior mechanical engineer involved in fabrication and welding. I have never strayed far from that discipline in my career. Ive always liked what I did and have always been based in Derby, although I have worked abroad with rolling stock manufacturers including Siemens in Germany, and Alstom in Italy and France as well as in Malaysia and Hong Kong. I have now retired, but still work every so often for SNC-Lavalin as an Associate when they need my expertise. My advice to new recruits? Have a can do attitude and be attentive. Photos: Cordelia Noble and Andy Tam