A Q&A with Isabella Bromfield, our Black Geographers Work Experience Placement
10 May 2023
Delta-Simons is proud to be a Careers Partner for Black Geographers. This initiative aims to tackle the lack of representation of black people within the geography and environmental sector. Our responsibility as the Careers Partner for Black Geographers is to promote equality, diversity and inclusion internally and across the Environmental Sector.
This is the third year we have been a partner, and over the last three years we have hosted a series of free workshops including panel discussions to share what we do as a business, what the role of an environmental consultant is, and the variety of disciplines within our different environmental divisions.
This year, we provided comprehensive guidance around CVs, covering letters, interviews and using LinkedIn. This supported members to apply for placements and prepare them for job applications.
As part of our ongoing partnership, we also offered two work experience placements for Black Geographers members to apply for, offering a brilliant opportunity to gain valuable experience in the sector, across multiple areas of our business.
At the end of April, we welcomed our first Black Geographers placement, Isabella Bromfield. Isabella spent two weeks in our London office, and we asked her to share a little about what she got up to and found useful during her time with us.
What are you currently studying and where?
I studied Geography at the University of Manchester, and I graduated in July 2022. I am currently working for a charity called Blueprint for All.
Why did you decide to apply for the placement at Delta-Simons?
After researching environmental consultancy online, I thought I would suit a career that works to protect both people and the environment. Therefore, when I saw the Delta-Simons placement advertised on the Black Geographers Instagram it sounded like an incredible opportunity to immerse myself into the world of environmental consultancy before committing to a role in the field.
The application provided a lot of aid and guidance as to how to complete it which meant it was less intimidating than other opportunities I had seen.
Can you tell us a little bit about what you have been doing during your two-week placement?
I spent the first two days of my placement with Senior Geoenvironmental Consultant, Tom Ambler and Senior Geotechnical Consultant, Matthew Hemus in the Geoenvironmental team. Here I was introduced to their desk-based work using software and information on the BGS website, Google Earth, Historic England and from the Envirocheck.
I then spent some time with the Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) team and discussed their roles and past projects which I really enjoyed. I was also given the opportunity to attend a site visit with Principal ETS Consultant, Charlotte Newman in Environmental Transaction Services (ETS) - it was great to be able to see in action a lot of the work I had been reading and writing about in reports.
Later on in the placement, I spent two days with the Water team working on the Phase 1 Reporting with Graduate Water Services Consultant Oliver Eglington and had a catch up with ESG intern, Eleanor Lancaster about her year long placement in the ESG team.
Additionally, I have been really lucky to have many staff members from the other offices offer their time to discuss their role, share advice and answer my queries.
What have you enjoyed most during the two weeks?
I have enjoyed meeting staff from all different sectors and offices. I’m so greatful to have been exposed to many of the different roles I could potentially embark upon in this field/company.
What are your future career ambitions?
I would like to begin my career journey by September 2023, and I am currently looking for a graduate role in this sector, specifically in Sustainability and ESG. Long term I would like to work in a role that works with business and organisations to operate responsibly and conscious of the impact of their work for future generations.
On Isabella’s placement, Senior Geoenvironmental Consultant, Tom Ambler commented;
“It was great to have Isabella in our London office for 2 weeks and see her interact with so many different people throughout Delta-Simons. She showed lots of enthusiasm for learning all about our different business areas and we hope that the opportunity has given valuable insight and experience as she moves forward in her career in environmental consultancy.”
Our second Black Geographers placement, Mya Andrews, will be heading to the Manchester office next week. We will look forward to sharing more on this soon!
If you’d like to find out more about the resources we developed for Black Geographers, they can all be accessed and downloaded here. Head over to our careers site to find out more about working for Delta-Simons and to view our current openings.
