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Episode 8

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Published on:

11th Aug 2026

Warren Rigby - M6 Clifton Rail Bridge replacement; the role of an award winning apprentice

https://www.talkcivils.com/engage

In this episode I talk to Warren Rigby about his apprenticeship route in to the contracting side of Civil Engineering and the role that he had on the challenging M6 Clifton Rail Bridge replacement scheme. Warren is a talented engineer with a passion for the industry and helping others follow in his footsteps. He was awarded the Tony Chapman medal in 2026 for the exceptional standard of his application for Incorporated Professional Review and his enthusiasm for Civil Engineering and ongoing engagement with the ICE.

This episode might be of particular interest if you are considering or actively following an apprenticeship route into the industry, or would like to better understand how the system is working. Warren has some great advice for making the most of your training, and some pitfalls to look out for. He goes on to set out some of the opportunities ahead of him and talks about some of the work he is doing to promote wider early engagement with Civil Engineering.

If you would like to know more about the Tony Chapman medal have a read of the links below:

https://www.ice.org.uk/get-involved/awards-and-grants/awards-and-competitions/tony-chapman-medal

https://www.ice.org.uk/what-is-civil-engineering/meet-the-engineers/warren-rigby

If you think you, or someone you know might make a great guest on the show please contact me through the contact form on my website or using the link below:

https://4bwygp9l.forms.app/form/69f067f6cb1e2bec183ace6f

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About the Podcast

TalkCivils
Talking to the remarkable people that do Civil Engineering
TalkCivils is a primarily interview based podcast that explores all aspects of the hugely varied and exciting world of Civil Engineering. There is something for everyone from conversations about career paths to advice on professional development, project spotlights to discussions on national strategy, deep dives on technical topics to reviews of industry trends and emerging technology, and anything else that catches our interest along the way.

Join me as I talk to some of the remarkable people that enable this industry to provide and maintain the infrastructure that brings individuals and communities together into thriving civilisations.
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About your host

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Nicholas Lake

I'm an Associate (Engineer) at Tony Gee and Partners LLP, and passionate about Civil Engineering and the small role each of us can play in shaping the society we live in, oh and we get to play with some big toys! I was fortunate to be sponsored as an undergraduate and went on to join the Structures department full time after graduation from Imperial College with a Masters Degree (MEng ACGI) in Civil Engineering. I achieved Chartered Membership of the Institution of Structural Engineers in 2020 (CEng MIStructE) and followed up with Chartered Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2026 (CEng MICE).

I have been team lead for design, checking, and assessment of permanent and temporary works for steel, concrete, and composite bridges, jacked boxes, gantries, and various other heavy civils structures. I've got particular experience in finite element analysis including buckling and dynamic analysis of structures, and modelling of structures on hydraulic support systems. My involvement with numerous successful bridge launch, move, and slide schemes has also included site support and supervision. As part of my professional training, I spent 12 months on site (2016-2017) seconded to Hochtief UK Construction where I worked on a new road over rail bridge scheme to replace the infamous Ufton Nervet Level Crossing, and then moved to a large motorway junction improvement scheme.

My primary attraction to Civil Engineering is the technical challenge of design and how these solutions can be practically, efficiently, and safely constructed. Alongside this, I take a keen interest in how we build and support exceptional teams that can deliver technical excellence. I firmly believe that this starts with great communication.