AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear company, and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) have launched a lecture series aimed at sharing knowledge and fostering an active community of industry professionals and academia in the Middle East. The lecture series, titled ‘Beyond Engineering’, will consist of four lectures and focus on market-specific insights, highlighting solutions and best practices that advance the engineering industry. From digitisation to artificial intelligence, decarbonisation and sustainability, the series will also address key industry challenges and opportunities in the region while examining how skill development can help shape the future of more resilient infrastructure across the built environment, transportation, and energy sectors. The first lecture, titled ‘Engineering Excellence 2025: Navigating Challenges, Creating Opportunities’, was held at AtkinsRéalis’ premises in Dubai. The event featured a dynamic panel discussion and hosted a diverse group of industry leaders, subject matter experts, and early career professionals. “As the engineering industry in the Middle East strives to achieve sustainable growth, meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, and address the pressing risks of climate change, key challenges will arise,” said Campbell Gray, CEO of the Middle East and Africa at AtkinsRéalis. “By launching this initiative with the ICE, we can leverage collective expertise to tackle these challenges head-on and provide invaluable opportunities to future talents for learning and growth, fostering innovation and delivering value to communities across the region.” ICE director general, Dr Janet Young, said: As a 207-year-old organization, the ICE has rich engineering heritage and has remained relevant by constantly questioning what future challenges will be. Our will to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow, is underpinned by our deep commitment to ethics and ensuring the competence of our members. “This Beyond Engineering lecture series, where the best minds in the region will come together to discuss and debate pressing issues like digitization, is a great example of how international knowledge sharing will help the ICE’s members and wider civil engineering community shape the world.” The lecture series emphasizes the importance of local talent development and community engagement. AtkinsRéalis is committed to nurturing local talent in the Middle East through various initiatives, including training programs, internships, and community outreach projects. AtkinsRéalis’ Graduate Development Program in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia aims to support the two countries’ nationalization efforts and continuous growth. The 12-month program is designed for talented graduates to gain extensive on-the-job learning with exposure to various projects, augmented with structured personal and professional development plans, mentoring, and career guidance. Since 2022, more than 130 graduates have joined the programme.