We recently caught up with Faakhir and Eleanor, two of our graduates working at Bouygues Energies & Services (BYES), a leader in the design and build of specialist facilities across highly regulated sectors, including Life sciences, Healthcare, and Data Centres. BYES is a key employer of Salford graduates, offering exciting opportunities in engineering, project management, and technical services.

Faakhir, a graduate of the BSc Architectural Design and Technology course, Class of 2020, employed as an Architectural Technologist and Eleanor, a graduate of the BSc Business and Economics, Class of 2022, and MSc Environmental Assessment, Class of 2023, shared their memories of studying at Salford and how those studies have propelled their careers and helped them to succeed at BYES.  

Faakhir chose Salford for his BSc as it gave him flexibility, being the only university that offered studying whilst working as well as being a local institution. Eleanor’s decision to study at Salford was also partly due to the locality. She said: “Salford has a great reputation and made the decision a no-brainer for me.  My undergraduate experience exceeded expectations, especially the teaching support and guidance.” 

Eleanor, who works at Bouygues
Eleanor working on a green project

When we asked Eleanor about her favourite memories studying at Salford, it was clear she got stuck in with Salford life. She said: “The welcome week celebrations always made for a great start to the year.  I have many great memories from the Salford students’ union, particularly a night where they had a brass band playing. Graduation was great too. It was a lovely end to the whole Salford experience.” 

Faakhir liked how his course overlapped with other Architectural and Project Management courses. He said: “This element of the course was reflective of real-life working practice, although quite full-on and difficult in retrospect. I’m not sure how I balanced everything!”  

In his role at BYES, Faakhir forms part of both Front End Consultancy capturing projects in their early stages as well as Detailed Design through to construction. He works with clients, generating concepts, developing them using 3D design software Autodesk Revit and moving them into Architectural Visualisation tools such as Twinmotion to create captivating, compelling and informative visuals which enable BYES to secure large complex projects with more clarity and efficiency. He said: My studies at Salford helped prepare me for the demands of the role. I was able to take what I learned, including my skills using software, and take it into the workplace. It has aided in significantly enhancing our client offer at BYES”. 

Faakhir

Eleanor works in the Environment & Sustainability Team and specialises in Environmental Management—she is the go-to for ‘everything sustainability.’ She said: “No day is the same. I have found my studies at Salford really prepared me for the workplace. In particular, the professional practice module was key to my studies as I was able to collaborate with an industry client. This was a great way to be introduced to industry-based work. I gained invaluable insight into the dynamics of business which prepared me for the data collection and analysis side of my role.” 

When asked what advice they would give current Salford students pursuing a career in Sustainability, Eleanor said: “For anyone pursuing a career in sustainability we need more people like you in the world. I would advise that students really apply themselves in the module assessments and any industry collaboration projects. It’s a really valuable experience and it puts down some great foundations when entering the graduate jobs market.”  

In response to the same question, Faakhir said: “I’d always advise any student, in any field, to take pride in your craft, by way of enjoying what you do. If you enjoy what you do, it reflects in the outcome and will always elevate the standard of the final output.” 

It was fantastic to chat with Faakhir and Eleanor about their experience and studies at Salford, and how those lessons have set them up for their amazing careers at BYES. If Faakhir and Eleanor’s journey into Bouygues has inspired you, make sure to check out the BYES, Industry LinkedIn page for opportunities and our website for postgraduate courses in Sustainability and Built Environments. Remember, as a Salford graduate, you may be eligible for up to 20% of many of our postgraduate courses!