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Building the way to success: Urban Systems Alumni Forum

November 20, 2018

In November 2018, students from the Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Urban Systems attended an Alumni networking evening that allowed the current cohort the opportunity meet and discuss their job search opportunities and experiences.

Led by the co-director for the MEL in Urban Systems, the open forum at UBC’s Robson Square, helped students build upon their professional networks. With the opportunity to meet with Alumni and current Urban System’s Instructors enabled students to discuss specific questions and areas of interest related to their field.

“The forum and social networking allowed the cohort to gain greater perspective on employee demands and industry expectations.”

With past MEL in Urban System Alumni Allen Sebastian – Project Engineer, Technical Support Services Operations & Maintenance, Water Services, Metro Vancouver | Joan Brink – Transportation Engineer, Translink | Syed Athar Bukhari – Construction Project Manager, Freedom Mobile gave the students the chance to discuss and explore a variety of roles and experience with the local sector. At the same, providing insight into the 3 different job routes, timings and requirements.

During the discussions many of the Alumni highlighted the need for enhancement of practical skills development for communication, the importance of industry exposure for diversity and the clarity of past experience for experience that need to be acquired.

It was advised that the value of UBC’s MEL in Urban Systems during their studies now allows them to understand the wider context of the project and situations with the ability to clearly communicate that to peers, management and teams within their roles. In addition, the dynamic cohort allowed them to enhance local study with a global context, which was supported by access to the industry reports and case studies available through the program.

The MEL recruitment and industry partnership team were also on hand to provide guidance and insight towards digital and social marketing for the students, to ensure that their digital presence aligned with their resume of experience. Along with this, useful tips for recruitment and sector specific alignment of key terms and recruiter search patterns were provided.

Alumni and peer to peer networking with related industry sectors is a key component of the UBC’s MEL professional master’s degree. Find out more about UBC’s MEL in Urban Systems and how it can work for you by exploring what our program has to offer.

Urban Systems

Urban Systems
Gain the high-level technical knowledge and urban planning perspective to design and manage urban infrastructure systems and create more resilient cities.

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