The Highways Agency graduate jobs

The Highways Agency careers and training scheme

The Highways Agency is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the strategic road network in England. It’s our job to tackle congestion, enhance safety, inform travellers, increase reliability and improve journey times. This is a task that involves enormous technical challenges, huge projects, large numbers and big ideas. So it calls for leaders who will measure up to that task. Our Graduate Development Programme has three distinct schemes designed to develop and deliver those leaders into the core areas of our business.

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The Company

The Highways Agency is an Agency of the Department for Transport (DfT), responsible for operating, maintaining and improving England’s strategic road network. They play a major role delivering the Government's Ten Year Plan for Transport. They have a small corporate centre in London, offices at eight locations across the country and traffic officers working on motorways based in seven Regional Control Centres and 32 outstations.

The organisation’s main role is to manage traffic, tackle congestion, provide information to road users, all while improving safety and journey time reliability. At the same time, they’re focused on respecting and minimising the adverse impact on the environment.

The strategic road network is made up of England’s motorways and all-purpose trunk roads (the major A roads). Valued at over £87 billion, the network carries a third of all road traffic in England and two thirds of all heavy freight traffic. The network is in operation 24/7, 365 days a year. It provides crucial support to business, industry and the millions of people in Britain.

The Highways Agency works with partners and contractors to deliver a safe and efficient network, meeting the needs of customers. They have forged strong links with other road administrations in Europe and around the world by the exchange of information, experiences, expertise and innovative ideas. They put customers first in everything they do; listening to them and gaining a better understanding of the way the network impacts on peoples’ lives.

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Live Jobs

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Training & Profiles

For Engineers: the scheme is a three-year programme for Civil and Electrical Engineers which will lead on towards Chartered Status. In addition to engineering expertise, the programme develops broad management skills for future leadership roles throughout the Agency. You need to have a BEng or MEng degree approved by ICE or IET.

We are recruiting engineers onto the scheme at two seperate times in the next 6 months. The first group will start in March 2010. The second group will start in September 2010.

For Generalists: the scheme is a two-year generalist programme to develop the rounded experience and broad management skills for future leadership roles throughout the HA’s business. It is open to graduates with a degree in any discipline.

We are recruiting generalists onto the scheme once in the next 6 months. The group will start in September 2010.

Both schemes are placement-based, giving you the chance to gain experience in different Business Directorates, building vital people networks, broadening your perspective on what we do, and bearing big responsibilities on real projects. Role-based learning is complemented by outstanding Training & Development resources and comprehensive Support Networks. In other words, we do everything possible to ensure your personal and professional growth. But ultimately, it’s up to you to drive and determine your own development. After all, we see every graduate as a potential leader of one kind or another – People Leaders, Project Leaders, Process Leaders, Thought Leaders – and true leaders shape their own destinies.

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Case Studies

Name: Matthew Sweeting
Degree: BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering
University: Liverpool John Moores University

Over the past few years I’ve had a variety of interesting jobs at the Highways Agency. I’m currently responsible for the routine maintenance, improvement and operation of the Highways Agency's network in the North West of England, managing three teams and an annual budget of over £140 million. After graduating, my initial goal was to become a Chartered Civil Engineer as soon as possible. The Highways Agency allowed me to work on secondment for a consultant and contractor while following a structured training scheme. I was assigned two very experienced mentors who steered me to achieving my goal in just over three years. Since then I’ve been supported to completing a work-related MBA with Bradford Business School. The Highways Agency continues to provide me with new and exciting challenges that support my career development and maintain motivation. Our next big challenge is to further cement our role as a network operator by introducing more technology to reduce congestion and improve safety and journey time reliability.

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Name: Tom Hill
Degree: BA (Hons) Economics
University: Sheffield University

I was originally attracted to the Highways Agency because of the opportunity to try different areas within a large business. And this is definitely something I’ve experienced. I originally worked in HR and then in supply chain management within procurement. Here I was involved in high-level projects from the start. I was given the chance to develop a methodology and overall selection process, which has now become the standard within government procurement. I gained a rounded experience of the Highways Agency and am now pursuing my career in procurement, and have responsibility for the overall selection process. The graduate scheme gave me a huge advantage. I had a superb mentor who helped me make key decisions at critical points in my development. It was structured, but I was allowed to work independently and was encouraged to be driven. I was also able to take part in action learning groups, one of which produced the drugs and alcohol policy for traffic officers.

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Name: Clare Griffin
Degree: BA (Hons) Philosophy and Sociology
University: Birmingham University

In my time at the Highways Agency I’ve worked on several projects, including measuring and improving network information, improving safety on the roads and working on the informed traveller initiative. What really appealed to me about the Highways Agency is the support and the structure of the scheme, but also the freedom to really take control of your own learning. This has meant that from an early stage I’ve been able to take a lead on projects, whether working with a partner or by myself. The buddying system has been invaluable – there’s a support group with people who have recently been through the graduate scheme. At the same time the mentoring is fantastic. You always have an independent expert who can advise on the work you’re doing and help your networking to ensure you’ re able to choose the best placements for your development. All the teams I’ve worked on have been keen to give guidance when I needed it and let me find my own feet when it was appropriate.

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Name: Kelson Dos Santos
Degree: BEng (Hons) Electronics and Electrical Engineering
University: London South Bank University

What really stood out for me about the Highways Agency was the opportunity to get involved with large infrastructure projects and get exposure to other elements of engineering, like Civil. It’s also great to know that you’re having a positive impact on people in their everyday lives by helping them visit family or get to work on time. I’m really keen to get chartership and the scheme here will help me towards that goal. I want to get involved in projects as soon as possible and although I’ve only been here for a few weeks I’m already an assistant project sponsor in traffic technology, which is a huge opportunity for me. The buddying scheme means that I get support from people who are in a similar position to me and the mentoring enables me to sense check my work, and my future decisions, with an industry expert.

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Information & FAQ

Salary: £19,883

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