Image: Musa Chunge has been named as one of Sir John Armitt's apprentices

Sir John, the incoming President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) whose tenure began in November, has continued the ICE tradition of selecting six young members to work with him and the Institution.

This year the scheme is expanding from a one-year opportunity to a more extended career development programme. The successful apprentices will attend ICE events, meet senior industry people and join Sir John on regional visits. They will also choose a strategic project to work on to help make a real contribution to the profession.

Musa, currently a graduate engineer at Laing O'Rourke , said: “I am very excited to be an apprentice under Sir John Armitt. It is a great opportunity to be involved with the ICE and to be part of something bigger than my own career. I am looking forward to gaining greater exposure to the context of our industry, which is something I began to get a feel for during my time with CSIC.

“As an apprentice I will be working on a project to help engineers navigate international differences in civil engineering - a project that feels very natural to me given the growing list of countries I have lived, studied and worked in. It is a project that I hope will contribute to the fluidity in knowledge and best practice across the globe.”

The ICE President's Apprentice Scheme, which is open to all technicians and ICE graduate members working towards their professional qualification, has been running since 2005 and offers an opportunity to gain experience, develop skills, learn about the industry and be mentored by the ICE President.

At the end of the President's twelve-month term the apprentices automatically become part of the President's Apprentice alumni network, which provides opportunities to engage and network with a dynamic peer group for the rest of their career.