An intern who saved National Highways thousands of pounds with his computer skills in just three months has been promoted to a permanent post — and was personally welcomed by Chief Executive Nick Harris.
When Nick heard about intern Vadims Seimanovs’ accomplishment, he was so impressed that he wanted to meet him and check for himself how he had progressed.
Data science student Vadims developed a computer chatbot that can provide real-time traffic information for any area of the National Highways’ road network during a three-month internship.
He cut the company’s early development expenditures and resources by thousands of pounds.
Nick made a surprise visit at a data science team meeting in Birmingham to congratulate Vadims, who is 23 years old. He stated,
It was a pleasure to learn about the chatbot which will be a real asset for people using our roads. I look forward to it going live and to seeing what more this enterprising young man has to offer.
Vadims demonstrated the talent and drive we look for in a new recruit and will be an asset to the data science team as we navigate the digital revolution which is transforming how our roads are built, designed, operated and used.
Vadims was one of three University of Salford Data Science MSC students who worked with National Highways for 12 weeks. They became members of the data science team, where they worked on specific projects, with Vadims focused on the chatbot.
The chatbot is an online tool that is being created to assist the Customer Contact Centre by giving a new method to communicate with National Highways by answering questions and providing information, such as the most recent travel news.
He taught it to recognize the types of inquiries that people may ask so that it could respond appropriately. The CCC and the Digital Services and Operations teams are now collaborating to further build the chatbot so that it may be launched on the website.
Vadims explained:
I was interested straightaway in developing the chatbot because it is something that helps people to navigate their journeys and makes life easier.
The internship was a good experience – I used new technology, got an insight into how National Highways works and enjoyed working with the Data Services team who were very friendly so I was really pleased to get a job here.
It was a big surprise to meet the CEO of National Highways, I was very nervous at the start but he seemed really interested in what I had done with the chatbot and we had a nice conversation.
Vadims will work as part of a team generating innovative data and digital solutions that will make a genuine difference to the way National Highways operates in his new career as a data scientist in Manchester.
Davin Crowley-Sweet, Chief Data Officer, stated:
Share on Facebook «||» Share on Twitter «||» Share on Reddit «||» Share on LinkedInThe data science recruitment market is really competitive. We have to think about innovative ways to get the best possible people into National Highways and do focus on bringing in early talent.
The enthusiasm and willingness of the interns blended really well with the experienced members of the team and our supply chain partners. It has given us an excellent work dynamic.