As part of our mission to empower our employees, we encourage career development and growth. Our Future Leadership Development program allows young professionals to collaborate with company leaders and develop deep institutional knowledge of various business units across the firm. With practical courses dedicated to advancing presentation and project management skills and unique opportunities to learn directly from our executives, the program is an opportunity for employees to gain fresh perspectives and become the next generation of IPS leadership.
Read more from our 2022 graduates and how the program has supported their career growth:
Jake Snelling, Project Engineer
How has this program changed your career path?
The program gave me a “bigger picture” view of how IPS operates as a company, our path forward, and insight into how our senior leadership operates. Prior to the FLD program, I had not personally met many members of the senior leadership. Given the opportunity to present homework assignments to these individuals was motivating and inspired me to do better and grow. I have taken many of the different activities and lessons learned from the course and applied them to the jobsite. I feel that graduating from the course has also gotten my name out there as someone who is committed to IPS and our future growth.
What is the biggest takeaway you can share with others that you learned?
My biggest takeaway from the course was presentation skills. I personally feel that I am a strong public speaker and presenter, but the lessons learned through the FLD program showed me how much I truly had to grow in that department. The FLD program made me an even stronger presenter, public speaker and even improved my skills in preparation for speaking in front of large crowds for an extended period of time. I did not know what to expect when I enrolled in the program, but I feel that I was able to grow as an individual as well as an employee of IPS. I would highly recommend to anybody on the fence about enrolling for the program to do so and take in as much as possible through the course.
Andrew Fischer, Project Engineer
How has this program changed your career path?
Being in this program helped me gain knowledge and experience with the tools and tasks used by project managers daily. This has helped me gain confidence and pride in my career while working towards running my own projects.
What is the biggest takeaway you can share with others that you learned?
This program has provided an exceptional network of experts outside of and within our own company dedicated to mentoring each student to get where they want to be. I personally gained experience with site logistics, thought exercises for scheduling, and basic knowledge of LEAN practices.
Matthew Butts, Assistant Project Manager
How has this program changed your career path?
This program has helped me grow as a professional in the industry and provided me with knowledge and leadership that can only otherwise be acquired through years of experience. As a result, I believe I will be a better team player on projects and have the ability to lead others through the project lifecycle with a much greater level of quality and overall execution.
What is the biggest takeaway you can share with others that you learned?
The biggest takeaway for me is to never look at a problem in only one direction. There are times when someone will need to think outside of the box and really ask questions that may seemingly come from “left field” but those questions will help develop a better solution to your problem and help to minimize negative impacts of a certain decisions since all options have been thoroughly vetted and discussed among the team.
Brendan McPoyle, Assistant Superintendent
How has this program changed your career path?
The FLD program has really opened my eyes up to the possibilities that IPS has to offer. Being able to learn from some of the best minds in the industry has helped me to rapidly improve my skillset. Since completing the FLD Program, I have taken on a more involved role within my project team. In my opinion, the FLD Program was extremely beneficial in helping me to learn skills that will set me up to have a successful career.
What is the biggest takeaway you can share with others that you learned?
If you embrace this program, you will rapidly improve your skillset and become a more valuable asset. Being able to directly apply what I had learned from the FLD Program to the job to the job that I was on at the time, helped immensely with my development. Through the program, and my own experiences, I feel that I am in a position to meaningfully contribute to the projects I am on now, and will be on in the future. I have gained a strong understanding of the job cycle, in its entirety, and I can now directly apply these skills to the projects that I am a part of. I think the FLD Program truly helped me to realize my full potential, and I look forward to, hopefully, being a part of the IPS family for years to come.
Ben Huzzard, Assistant Project Manager
How has this program changed your career path?
This program provided me with connections and knowledge that I will carry throughout my professional career. The knowledge obtained through this program gave me a behind the scenes look at how IPS operates as a business and what other groups within the company do to successfully complete projects. Topics such as scheduling and LEAN construction are applicable in our everyday jobs at the project level, and this program allowed me to acquire a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of both topics. The program allowed me to connect with peers and executive level management, who may not be present at your project sites. The connections I made will provide me a support system that I can carry with me for years to come.
What is the biggest takeaway you can share with others that you learned?
“You don’t know, what you don’t know” is a quote that I think is very applicable to this program. There were multiple topics that were covered as a part of the program that I had little, to no, knowledge on. The program gave me the opportunity to ask questions to subject matter experts, which led to me leaving the program with a grasp on these previously unfamiliar topics. Each of us have different skillsets and levels of knowledge in the industry, but this program was a forum for all of us to show our strengths and improve on weaknesses.