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Civil Engineering alumni celebrate 40 years since graduating

NTU’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment welcomed back six Civil Engineering alumni for a 40-year reunion event on 6th October 2023.

    Alumni with certificates
    The group of alumni with certificates

    Students and staff joined together to meet with Neil Gibson, Colin Collier, Bernard Courtley, Peter Gold, Chris Evans and Tim for a day of reminiscing and knowledge sharing.

    The group all studied at NTU, then Trent Polytechnic, 40 years ago, and have gone on to have successful careers holding senior positions within civil engineering, construction and wider sectors. They have also kept in touch since leaving university and are still good friends.

    Alumni staff in classroom
    Alumni, students and staff in an engineering workshop in Maudsley

    During their visit they toured the Newton building, which used to hold their old classrooms, library and workshops.

    Student Mentors Ed and Jenny, and the School Technical Manager Dave Nix, joined us on a tour of Maudsley building to explore where the course is now taught. Our alumni visitors were shown new technology that is now used to teach the technical skills needed by civil engineers, and the group reminisced about the more manual methods they were taught as students.

    Alumni Q&A with students
    Q&A with alumni and Civil Engineering students

    After the tour they were joined by students on the course for an insightful Q&A panel. Students asked questions about the industry in general, how to turn an application into an offer of employment, and the impacts of artificial intelligence and new sustainability initiatives.

    Our alumni highlighted the importance of being more than academically successful; enhancing transferable skills and ensuring they’re a personable, enthusiastic candidate is vital. The group also said that graduates need to show their passion for civil engineering and be ready to embrace technological advancements - as long as they are prepared to learn, they can grow with the industry.

    As the Managing Director of Strategic Projects at VolkerFitzpatrick, a strategic partner at NTU, Chris helped turn this alumni reunion into more than just a catch up with old friends, providing an opportunity for students to learn first-hand from industry professionals.

    "The strategic partnership that VolkerFitzpatrick has with NTU provides many of our best graduates across civil engineering, quantity surveying and construction management. The solid grounding NTU provides will be invaluable to today’s students in their careers... without the solid knowledge across civil engineering that NTU provided to me I would not have had the opportunities to lead the construction of the exciting major projects and the VolkerFitzpatrick civil engineering business." - Chris Evans, BSc, C.Eng, FICE (Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers)

    We would like to thank Chris, Peter, Neil, Bernard, Tim and Colin for joining us on campus and sharing their experience with the next generation of civil engineers.

    Published on 25 October 2023
    • Subject area: Architecture and civil engineering
    • Category: Alumni; School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
    • Location: City Campus