I recently joined Steer’s graduate scheme as part of the 2020 ‘pandemic’ cohort, after completing a degree in Geography from the University of Cambridge. At a time of such abounded instability, joining Steer has been a welcome certainty that helped me through completing my finals and graduating virtually back in July.
Typically, UK graduates have a week of in-person induction and training sessions to kick off the scheme. This year, this was delivered remotely via Microsoft Teams, and I attended from my childhood home in Norfolk – a far cry from the London office! Meeting your colleagues online is a slightly surreal experience, however definitely not out of character with the nature of this year. Steer’s Learning and Development team did a great job of making us feel connected to the company, the industry and our roles right from the start. For example, on the first day of training, we heard from Steer’s CEO Hugh Jones, introducing the company and discussing topics such as his career at Steer and the global state of the transport industry in an era of COVID-induced immobility. We also received timely communications prior to joining that made me feel part of the team long before I officially became an Assistant Consultant, such as a pre-joining event where we played icebreakers with the other graduates and spoke with previous cohorts.
I came across Steer through the Insights webpage whilst researching for my dissertation. I was interested in the breadth of work they are involved with, which piqued my interest and encouraged me to apply. At the Assessment Centre (AC) stage, I was introduced to Steer’s fantastic company culture, which is a real highlight of working here. The involvement of staff from all areas of the business and levels of seniority at the AC was impressive and this is something that I’ve seen again and again after joining. Furthermore, I’ve been impressed by Steer’s commitment to continuous learning. This is seen clearly with the incorporation of two professional qualifications as part of the graduate scheme, but also Steer’s dedicated Learning Hub where a range of colleague’s market awareness presentations and other learning material is accessible online.
Over my first month here, Steer has lived up to everything I hoped it would be. From both a business and learning perspective, the company is taking COVID-19 in its stride and adapting to new ways of working. There has been the perfect balance of taking part in projects right from the start, yet also participating in several monthly training days. Prior to the second national lockdown, I was able to visit the London office (operating at reduced capacity) several times and meet the other grads from this and last year’s cohort in person.
I am extremely grateful to Steer for the support they’ve offered to make the application and induction process as smooth as possible. I’m looking forward to getting involved with a broad range of projects, developing my career in consultancy and knowledge of the transport industry. I am also taking the opportunity to get involved with the Research and Innovation Club, Women in Steer forum and being a sustainability champion. I feel lucky to be working alongside like-minded people on projects that have real-word significance.