Employer profile: Arup, a global engineering and urban development firm

Arup is running an exciting work experience programme to give you a taste for engineering and designing sustainable projects. Here, find out a bit more about the programme and what working at Arup could be like.

What does Arup do?

Arup is a firm that aims to develop a truly sustainable built environment. We’re a company of over 18,000 designers, advisors, and experts working across 140 countries. We pride ourselves on collaborating with our clients and partners using imagination, technology, and rigour.

In all our work, we strive to manage a balance between the needs of a growing world population, and the finite capacity and health of our planet.

Arup was named one of Glassdoor’s ‘Top 10 Best Places to Work in the UK’ in 2023. Below are just a few words one employee shared on Glassdoor that contributed towards the award:

‘Great environment, stimulating, inclusive and encouraging growth and sharing knowledge. The core values are really focused on sustainability from an environmental and social perspective, the care for the employees is top, and you really feel like you are part of a family.’

How can someone join your company at entry level, or get experience at your company?

We run an in-person work experience week called The Arup Design Programme. Students get into groups to learn about various disciplines of engineering and design from our experts. They then implement what they’ve learned into a real project scenario, where they can design their own music festival. At the end of the week, they present their ideas to a panel of judges.

As part of the week, students also get the opportunity to go on a project or site walk, where they can see some of Arup’s projects in action.

Arup also takes on a cohort of graduates and apprentices to work with us every year. Our application process is usually through our website. Send your CV to us, and you may get an invite to an assessment centre in a local office.

Where do your employees work? 

Our headquarters are in London, although we have offices across the UK and in other countries including Malaysia, New Zealand, and Kenya. Most of our staff are office based, but may occasionally be asked to go on-site to help with understanding and progressing projects.

All of our staff are able to work from home, but we usually ask that they work a minimum of two days a week in the office, depending on their project commitments. All of our offices have a range of meeting rooms and breakout spaces for different types of meetings. 

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