Santina Bunting is an assistant technician and apprentice at Arup
In one sentence, what does your role involve? I get the opportunity to work on major infrastructure projects that shape the way we all live and move around. This includes highways, bridges and tunnels where I am involved in the engineering analysis, the production of drawings and reports, and generally helping to bring exciting projects to life.
How long have you been in your current job? I have been at Arup for four years now. At just 20 years old, I already feel like part of the furniture.
Please give a brief summary of your professional career to date. My journey began at 16 after GCSEs when I made a decision to do an apprenticeship. I was the only one out of 250 students to take this path. In September 2021 I began my Level 3 civil engineering apprenticeship at Arup. It was a mixture of working on real projects and studying a BTEC in civil engineering. I threw myself into it and managed to complete the course a year early with the highest grade.
Since then, my career has continued to grow quickly. I am now a technician member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and studying at Warwick University as part of my Level 6 degree apprenticeship. I am currently in my third year of that programme and I love combining the theory of university with the practical experience of work. On top of that, since November 2024 I have also been working one day a week in Arup’s global internal communications and marketing team. I was invited to join the team after being spotted for my communication skills and also building my personal brand.
Did further or higher education set you up well for your particular vocation? Because I chose the apprenticeship route, my higher education is happening alongside my career. Studying at Warwick as part of my apprenticeship has been invaluable. The academic side is helping me build the strong theoretical foundation I need to really understand the engineering principles behind the projects I work on. It makes such a difference when I can connect the dots between what I am studying and what I am contributing to in the office.
How is your job impacted by uncertainties in the economy? Working for a consultancy means that the flow of work is directly linked to the economy. When our clients face uncertainty or have less money to invest, projects can be scaled back or even cancelled. That naturally has a trickle-down effect on the type and volume of work I am involved in.
What is your view of artificial intelligence, an opportunity, a threat or a bit of both? For me it is an opportunity. I have just completed my Microsoft Copilot training which allows me to use it across the 365 apps we rely on daily. From my perspective, engineers can sometimes be slow to adapt to new technology, but I am keen to embrace it. AI is definitely the future and I want to understand how to use it to make my role more efficient and my future career more impactful.
Social media platform of choice, and why? From a professional perspective it has to be LinkedIn – I’m a massive LinkedIn lover. Through consistently posting and sharing my story I’ve been able to see the power of the app and the opportunities it can present. For example, just recently I was asked to co-host a TEDx event, and I also co-hosted the Colmore Food Festival because of it. On a personal level I prefer Instagram because I love sharing my travels and day-to-day life with my friends and keeping up with what they are doing too.
How do you hope your colleagues would describe you? I hope they would say I am happy, bubbly, confident, extroverted and a pleasure to work with.
Highlights of your career so far? There have been so many that it is hard to narrow them down, so I’m going to be cheeky and list four moments all achieved before the age of 20. Being invited to 10 Downing Street for an International Women’s Day reception was an unforgettable experience. Attending the King’s summer garden party at Buckingham Palace was another pinch me moment. Speaking at the House of Lords is something I will treasure forever. And of course, becoming the youngest ever winner of BYPY at the age of 19 will always be a career highlight. To me it really just shows what can happen when you believe in yourself and also put yourself out there.
Any particular faux pas or embarrassing moments in your career you would prefer to forget? About a year into my apprenticeship I gave a presentation during a meeting. Afterwards, unfortunately, I forgot to stop screen sharing and everyone could see my Teams tab where I had messaged a colleague to say I was finding the meeting boring.
Pet hates? People who gatekeep advice. Sharing knowledge helps everyone move forward.
If you could go back and give your younger self some wise advice, what would it be? Everything happens for a reason. Keep believing in yourself and stay confident, even when you feel unsure.
How do you relax away from work? I love a good holiday! This year I have been lucky enough to go to Miami, Jamaica, Croatia, Spain and Morocco. When I am at home I like to spend time with my friends and keep active by going to the gym.
Tell us something about you that most people probably would not know. I used to play handball for Great Britain under-21s as a goalkeeper. Last year I travelled to Uzbekistan for the Intercontinental Handball Championships where our team came second.
You can take one book, one film and one CD onto a desert island. What would they be? Book: The Hunger Games series. Film: Black Panther. CD: Wizkid, Made in Lagos.
Your five dream dinner party guests, dead or alive? Steven Bartlett, Sam Altman, Raye, Adam Sandler and Serena Williams.
What would you choose to eat for your last supper? For my main course I would choose Jamaican food, so curry goat with fried chicken and dumplings. For dessert it would have to be vanilla cheesecake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
