Mentoring the next generation of engineering professionals
An authentic passion for building a sustainable future, and radical caring for our people and our profession are core values at Englobe.
Through his enthusiastic mentorship of the next generation of talented engineering hopefuls, Read Fenton, Team Lead, Geotechnical in Edmonton, fully embodies these fundamental values.
Read first joined the Englobe family in 2017 as part of a small geotechnical team. Since then, he has welcomed six to eight co-op students and interns on work placement contracts each year, helping them understand and adapt to the reality of life on an Englobe job site. Most of these students and interns hail from civil and environmental engineering, disciplines that are an especially good fit at Englobe.
Giving back
Read sees this mentorship role as a way to give back to the profession. “The first three years of my junior engineering, I did all the materials testing and field work. I really valued it – the people around me really made sure I learned and took care of me. I want to apply all those same values.”
As a result, Read infuses his role with the same care and concern.
I enjoy being there for the students. I get up in the morning to take care of the team all day, every day. We have to take care of one another and especially, to be aware of health and safety. That’s my core value when it comes to my team.
Read Fenton, Team Lead, Geotechnical in Edmonton
“You want to set the tone, set a precedent. After all, we’re the engineers, the people who keep society safe and build things, so we must keep high standards across the board", he says.
Teaching and learning
Read believes mentors can also benefit from this experience. “There's a saying that you don't really know something until you can teach it. You might be doing something, and you've always done it a certain way, without ever questioning it. But then someone asks why – and suddenly you’re thinking ‘That’s a good question!’ By teaching or explaining what we're doing and why we're doing it, we grow a lot too.”
We have some real troopers this year. The co-op students come in with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and some great values that they get to live. This really helps the more established engineers maintain perspective and not become jaded. We remember that we’re not just doing the same thing every day; we're doing cool stuff that we’re proud of.
Read Fenton, Team Lead, Geotechnical in Edmonton
He has some straightforward advice for young engineering hopefuls.
If my student keeps asking me the same question, I haven't explained things well enough. So, my advice is to find a mentor who will continue answering your questions. Then show up enthusiastic, and don’t ever lose that enthusiasm. Work really hard. Learn as much as you can about everything. There are many practical things to learn when you leave school, and this is a great place to do it.
Read Fenton, Team Lead, Geotechnical in Edmonton
To learn more about internship and career opportunities at Englobe, visit our Careers page.