Highlights and Reflections On My First Three Months at RAB

From travelling across the country to inspect flood defences, to assisting in property flood resilience surveys based near to my family home, to remotely investigating flood risk on far away locations, there are many topics that I could delve into which have been both varied and engaging. However, these are some of my top highlights of my time at RAB so far – encompassing experiences to work life and more.

Travel and the Sights

I’d have to say the key highlight of my time so far has been traveling across the country, visiting various urban centres and remote rural locations across the coastline. Throughout my time on site so far, I’ve explored new localities and boroughs of the country including picturesque Hampshire and Berkshire.

A particular experience that has changed my perspective is spending days on site in East Anglia. Having only visited the area previously for family holidays, carrying out inspections in areas not typically frequented by tourists, such as smaller villages and port towns such as Great Yarmouth, has been fascinating. These are areas of Suffolk and Norfolk I wouldn’t likely to have explored otherwise.

Perhaps the standout experience during my time at RAB so far has been visiting Wallasea Island in Essex, a RSPB nature reserve – a site more closely linked to the recreational side of East Anglia I had previously experienced. Here, my colleague, Tom, and I inspected a number of flood and coastal risk management measures including embankments and outfalls.

Initially, the day seemed like a typical site day with familiar views and tasks. But as the day progressed, the environment began to feel almost otherworldly. The landscape stretched as far as our eyes could see at times, only broken by the blue of the sea or sky and towering wind turbines in the far distance, whilst the utter silence was only broken by the occasional gust of wind or by a splash or crash of the waves. Typically, we cross paths with the public who usually ask what we’re up to or ask if we work for the local council or typical chitchat, but we went for hours without seeing anyone – it felt like isolation you’d only experience in the plains of the United States rather than in the east coast of England.

Snapshot of the Wallasea Island landscape

Eventually, we stumbled upon an old drilling instrument: a crucial part of excavations for the Elizabeth metropolitan line in London. Interestingly, the earth generated from the excavations was used in the creation of the very wetland we were stood on.

Not long after finding the drilling instrument, we noticed unusual buildings on another island in the far distance. Only to find out it was Foulness Island – a restricted island used for military weapons testing. This further added to the eeriness of Wallasea island, which was otherwise serene. It felt like an environment pulled from a science fiction film scene.

This experience was definitely one of my favourite days so far: blending an ideal mix of exercise, history and nature whilst providing valuable field insight into flood risk engineering. I’m excited to experience more unique environments and picturesque locales, and the learning experiences they have to offer, in the next 3 months and beyond.

Collaboration and Knowledge Application

One of the most rewarding and fulfilling aspects of working at RAB has been the collaborative working – not only interdepartmentally within RAB but also alongside similar consultancies and governmental organisations whether that be on site or back at the office. Particularly working as part of the Environment Agency’s Collaborative Delivery Framework has strengthened my sense of being part of something greater than myself.

This aspect of work has particularly meaningful to me. Having spent years at university and school studying these influential bodies and their policies, spending my days working alongside these groups and utilising the skills and knowledge I have acquired throughout my academic journey feels truly remarkable. It feels like the true culmination of my academic journey.

Variety

The diversity of work has been key in furthering my skillset and knowledge whilst keeping me engaged. Whilst my core responsibility is to the engineering team, I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in the drainage and property flood resilience teams. The latter providing me with a holistic understanding of approaches to addressing flood risk – encompassing not only typical collective measures but also personal mitigation measures.

The opportunity to work with welcoming, interesting and diverse sets of people has been equally as important. Connecting with colleagues and peers from various academic backgrounds and regions has provided me with invaluable industrial knowledge and bolstered my ability to approach projects from multiple perspectives – whether that be from the perspective of an engineer, surveyor or adviser.

Tree canopy and quiet road in the Lambourn Downs

What’s to Come…

In my first three months, I’ve begun to scratch the surface by contributing and assisting in projects across the country. I’m excited to continue progressing and look forwards to tackling projects more independently as my knowledge and experience grows.

I am eager to strengthen my existing relationships within the company and individuals in other organisations. In this, I aim to contribute to each department within RAB and next on that list is Resilience – whose work has particularly piqued my interest.

Thank you to Pete, Alexandros and the rest of RAB for being welcoming and giving me an engaging and rewarding first 3 months!

If you my first 3 months at RAB resonates with you and you’d like to be a part of this innovative company, then please check out our current vacancies at: https://rabconsultants.co.uk/careers/

Cathedral Close and Linear Park in Lichfield – the location of the RAB head office