Training & Personal Development at Arup

In the first year of the graduate program we received ample training (but having been at the company for a couple years prior it was different for me to other new graduates) but in the second year we have received little formal training from Arup outside of on the job training. It has been unclear what learning we are meant to have done in this second year so without it being formal organised training I think it has been ineffective. As far as informal on the job training everyone at the company is very helpful and usually willing to take time out of their day to help train new staff members or new tasks to staff members.

The training was alright. A lot of the journey its unsupervised, so if you don't have a strong work ethic and aren't proactive you could end up in rabbitholes.

Online training - (LinkedIn learning and calls) > generally more personal development and soft skills. Some new concepts introduced On-the-job training - in-person and one-on-one > enhancing existing skills. Picked up skills in researching, geo-spatial analysis from this.

I've learnt a lot from my team in on the job learning. Not so much from formal grad program lessons.

Our training program has included sessions with a top group mentor Linton Chalmers, as well as sessions with a very intelligent Adam Stiles. The job has additionally allowed me to undertake courses on an internal program to advance my capabilities with certain softwares.

Arup offers a good in-house training program. The company also offers opportunities to network with other companies. Involvement in professional association events and learning is also encouraged.

The grad program, despite being accoladed does not impress me. The standard of hires that I expect for the company should already have well developed soft skills and not need to be talked to as though we have never learnt to network or introspect. There has as of 5 months in been no opportunities to meet grad from other cities in person and I do not know of any future opportunities for this which is rather disappointing. I think some of the most important things have been left for inappropriately late in the program, like learning about timesheets and getting involved with research projects. I wish the grad program had it's own timesheet code rather than being classified as general training, which is frequently discussed in the office with the recommendation that 'everyone' reduces their training time and when a grad asks, that 'everyone' does not include us. The opportunities for learning outside of the grad program are fantastic and varied.

Very good in general

Most training is mentored and on the job, being developed from project experience and complete specific tasks under guidance. Takes time to build up this specific knowledge and skillset

The formal training was good but the on the job training I think was excellent and incredibly beneficial to my own growth (i.e. by seeing how more senior colleagues work and by learning from them).

Lots and lots of formal training but they also encourage you to dive head first and learn from doing after 6 months

My most valuable training has been on the job training, with lots of questions answered and feedback from my colleges.