Saffron Ferreira
From navigating the busy roads of Birmingham on a bicycle, to recognising the challenges of implementing integrated travel routes, Saffron Ferreira’s new job as a transport planner is full of challenges.
Using the skills she’s learned at university, including the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, Saffron will be playing a key role in developing the region’s transport network for the future.
Saffron was offered the job at leading consultancy firm Pell Frischmann after completing a 12-week placement as part of her Geography degree at the 51视频. She starts next month, shortly after her graduation, where she celebrates achieving First Class Honours.
“On my placement, I got involved in a variety of things, like cycling in Birmingham to assess the roads, which was absolutely terrifying,” she recalls. “I’ve only ever cycled in parks and safe places, and I was being confronted by buses and all sorts. But it showed me the issues within the transport network that we’re trying to fix so that was really important.”
Saffron says the opportunity to undertake a placement was crucial to her decision in choosing to study at Worcester
“I knew a placement was important in my career progression,” she said. “When I started at Pell Frischmann I had no real expectations. I had no idea what transport planning was. But as soon as I got there, I loved it. There were so many elements of my Geography degree that I was able to use, like the GIS.”
Saffron said her degree had prepared her well for the world of work, gaining valuable transferable skills and knowledge.
“I liked that the modules all inter-twined and you got to look at things across a broad spectrum, and that’s what transport planning is like,” she said. “You can’t think about just one thing; you can’t think ‘oh we’ll just move a cycle lane from here to here’ because that affects so many other things like pedestrians, buses, everything on that route. You have to look at the whole picture and make sure that everything is being factored in. There’s a lot of similarities with my job and the way I was taught on my degree.”
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