Training the Next Generation – What’s The Plan?

Training the next generation of professionals whether in engineering, architecture, or construction is about more than completing a checklist or ticking off competencies.

In high-stakes industries like ours, success isn’t just about what you know it’s about how you apply that knowledge under real-world conditions. That’s especially true for structural engineers, where the consequences of poor judgement can be expensive, dangerous, or both.

It’s Not Just About Skills, It’s About Environment

Young engineers don’t just need tutorials and task lists.

They need to be immersed in an environment where they can see real decisions being made, understand the trade-offs involved, and learn how theoretical ideals play out on active sites.

This kind of learning doesn’t happen through check-ins or Teams calls.

It happens in the flow of the work through shared sketches, overheard conversations, and collaborative problem-solving

Running structural analysis software is important.alongside experienced professionals.

Engineering Isn’t Just Technical. It’s Situational

But so is knowing:

When a design is over- or under-engineered
How to balance safety, cost, and programme
When (and how) to push back on unrealistic proposals
How to clearly explain structural risks to architects or clients

These aren’t things you learn in isolation.

They’re picked up by being in the room, listening, asking, and absorbing.

Why It Matters More Than Ever

Today’s engineers face increasing complexity climate pressures, legacy buildings, tighter budgets, faster programmes.

To prepare them properly, we need to create learning environments that are active, informal, and embedded in the work not siloed away in training manuals or periodic reviews.

We don’t just want engineers who are qualified.

We want them to be confident, competent, and trusted.

Finding the Balance: Office vs Remote Work

We believe in flexibility but not at the expense of development.

That’s why we work three days in the office and an optional two from home. It gives our team the best of both worlds

focused time for deep work, and
in-person collaboration that’s essential for learning.

The informal moments questions asked across the desk, solutions sketched on the spot just don’t happen the same way on Teams.

For junior engineers especially, this balance matters.

It ensures they’re surrounded by experience while still enjoying autonomy and flexibility.

How are you developing your junior engineers? Do you work hybrid? What have you found that works for you and your teams?

Let me know in the comments.

At Michael Aubrey Structural Engineers, we are proud to introduce a groundbreaking solution for the UK’s RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) crisis.

In a UK first, our team has developed and successfully delivered an in-situ repair method for RAAC panels using Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) technology – a material more commonly used in aerospace and automotive industries.

Until now, repairing RAAC meant expensive, disruptive demolition or full roof replacement.

By returning to first principles, our engineers have adapted CFRP to strengthen RAAC panels directly, without the need to vacate the building.

“This was uncharted territory,” says John Staves CEng FIStructE, Managing Director. “The Eurocode standards didn’t cover this solution – but through rigorous engineering, testing, and validation, we made it work.”

The benefits are clear:

No demolition required
Minimal disruption to occupants
Cost-effective, scalable, and safe

Already successfully implemented with Network Rail, this pioneering system gives councils, schools, hospitals, and public bodies a practical way to restore building safety without the huge cost or disruption of traditional methods.

This is engineering innovation at its best – providing real solutions for hundreds of at-risk buildings across the UK.

Do you have a building that has been affected by RAAC? Call us today 0118 962 9666 and we’ll see if we can help you.

Today I’m talking to Andrew Wiggett, one of our latest Structural Engineers to pass his Chartered exams.

Why Did You Choose To Study Structural Engineering?

When I was a school I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.

I chose the A levels that were interesting and “do-able” – Maths, further maths and physics and chemistry AS

I didn’t know what engineering was, or that you could do a degree in it

I thought I was going to do a Physics degree, or I looked at Medicine – but that was an idea that died out pretty quick!

In lower 6th form someone suggested looking at Engineering, I thought that’s a good idea – this is what I pictured physics to be like.

I did a general engineering degree at Cambridge University – 4 year Masters

My best module in first year was structures and materials – my two favourite subjects. I tried to avoid pure Maths, but there was a lot of this.

What Do You Like About Being An Engineer?

It’s a varied job, with lots of projects on the go at the same time.

I’m glad that none of my projects take too long, I wouldn’t like to be working on a project that had a two year deadline .. I wouldn’t know where to begin with that. Whereas twenty things to do in the next month is a lot more interesting.

Any Downsides To Structural Engineering?

Lack of protection of the name “Engineer” A friend said once they did a two day course installing BT infinity and now they were an “Engineer”

People come up to me and say “you’re an engineer, why can’t you do this task” it’s usually sawing a bit of wood in a straight line!

What Skills And Qualities Do You Think Are Important To Become A Structural Engineer?

Maths, but not someone who gets bogged down in the exact details.

Rejecting the negative answer out of hand and explicitly state it, it would drive pure mathematicians bonkers.

The ability to visualise things. That why I always struggled with the electronics side of things at university because it was something that I couldn’t picture. Whereas building structures I can picture as well as the mechanics and materials.

Communication skills There’s no point knowing the answer if you can’t tell someone what it is and there is no point designing something that a Contractor can’t build.

What Was The Exam Preparation Like?

I’d advise you doing the January exam, if you are like me and don’t like Christmas!

A big chunk of my revision was based around past papers, but I didn’t actually sit down and do a whole paper for 7.5 hours.

I started by working on basic scheme design. Coming up with two distinct schemes for a question. Choosing questions that I wouldn’t necessarily pick in the exam. Then I’d move on to the sketch drawings.

structural engineering

Any Tips?

I did prepare a folder of how to do calculations by hand – the sorts of calculations that would come up and set up so I could copy them out – much faster than just having the formula or procedure to hand.

The scheme design was what I concentrated on as that was the part I failed the first time.

I also worked on the end of the afternoon – the method statement. As this was something that I rushed badly last year, but you pick up some good marks here. There are 10 marks out of 50 available in part B – 40/45 minutes. I stopped what I was doing in the exam when I had 45 minutes to go and concentrated on the method statement.

You find out if you fail or pass.

If you fail you get a mark and feedback, but no mark if you pass. However there is a “best solution prize” – it’s across all the papers, across the world.

What Does Becoming Chartered Mean to you?

It’s sort of the next step in my career.

I remember doing the first graduate interviews for my first job after University and they’d always say “where do you see yourself in 5 years” … Annoyingly it’s taken me 5.5 years – but I got there!

Do You Have A Favourite Building Structure?

I’m a big fan of timber.

From a sustainability point of view, timber structures are the way things are going especially in this country.

Design lives of buildings are much more suited to timber, rather than putting up concrete and brick monstrosities to be then torn down in 40 years.

It’s like electric cars, we can’t all switch to timber overnight, there’s not enough of it. I think we need to push things in that direction, it’s slightly better.

what is a structural engineer

Preparing for Your Chartered Exams?

Are you preparing for your exams?

Click here to find out about the Institution of Structural Engineers Chartered Membership exam and Professional Review Interview –

Good luck!

Today I’m talking to Robert Jones, one of our Structural Engineers, who recently pass his Chartered Exams and is on his way to becoming a Chartered Structural Engineer.

Why Did You Choose To Go Into Engineering?

When I left school, wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I did a one year course in public services to improve my English.

Then I wanted to do something more practical, so I completed a two year BTEC in Manufacturing Engineering, obtaining three Distinctions.

It was all coursework based, but it was very challenging, there was a lot of Maths together with a practical side (which I enjoyed) using the machinery and building stuff.

So I decided to go for Civil Engineering as it was practical; science and Maths based – which I‘m very good at – I enjoy problem solving.

That is what structural engineering is really – working out what is wrong and working how you are going to fix it.

So I went to Coventry University for four years and obtained a BEng followed by a Masters. I left university in 2013 and joined Michael Aubrey Partnership.

What Do You Like About Being A Structural Engineer?

I like the engineering career, as you come into work and you have a different problem every day, every day is different, you don’t get board.

I like going out on site, especially the older buildings – finding out what’s wrong – being a detective.

Any Downsides To Engineering?

Probably the fact that people don’t understand the importance of Structural Engineers when you are designing a house or building, they think the Architect does it all, so that’s a bit frustrating, rather than a downside.

What Skills And Qualities Do You Think Are Important To Become A Structural Engineer?

To have a practical mind to see how things work and don’t accept everything is right just because you have been told it. You have to question “why does that work?”.

Being organised. I’ve got several big projects on at the moment and you have to be able to handle them at the same time.

You have to be quite a “people” person, especially when you are meeting Clients and Contractors. You have to be able to talk to them and come down to their level and find out what the problem is, instead of being totally analytical and just doing the maths. You need to be able to communicate your design, both by sketches and discussing what you are thinking to them.

If working with a Contractor you can find out what their preferred solution is, and that can sometimes results in a lower cost