Alumnus of the month – September 2015
Arkadiusz Piotrowski
BEng Civil Engineering, 2013
Arkadiusz Piotrowski had always dreamed of becoming a professional engineer, designing and building city structures that stood the test of time. Since graduating from LSBU, he is now Poland’s graduate representative for the Institution of Civil Engineers as well as Assistant Highways Engineer for CH2M, one of the world’s largest engineering consultancies.
After finishing college in Warsaw, Arkadiusz needed an internationally recognised degree to get ahead in the competitive graduate market. Attracted by LSBU’s reputation of cutting-edge facilities and excellent teaching staff, the only obstacle was his lack of equivalent A-Level qualifications: “Luckily they offered me a place on the Foundation course to prove my competence. After successfully completing it, I enrolled on the BEng Civil Engineering and haven’t looked back. LSBU really is a place of opportunities.”
Arkadiusz credits LSBU with providing all he needed to start his Civil Engineering career: “I was offered a job at CH2M three months after my last exam. The big impact came from the University’s JobShop. They really helped me prepare for the recruitment process, from researching the company and knowing my skills to studying interview questions. I felt confident.”
Living in London was also a great opportunity to develop another of his passions: “I immediately joined the London Football Association and registered as a professional referee. The highlight was refereeing a match at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium! I also got a part-time job in the world's most famous department store, Harrods. I was part of the Chocolate department and served people like LeBron James, John Terry and Jessica Alba.”
Serving celebrities and refereeing 11-a-side matches gave Arkadiusz the extra income he needed to get through his studies. Now his work involves highway design for projects in England and Scotland: “These projects cost more than £1 billion and each week, I’ll have Skype meetings with my managers and UK clients. It’s amazing how technology connects people to work internationally!”
LSBU's BEng Civil Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Council, on behalf of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers, and the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation. Our alumni occupy senior positions throughout the world and deliver a vital service in ensuring the safe, timely, well-resourced construction of a huge range of projects.