For university students, recent graduates, and other early career professionals, starting a career is often less about finding a single perfect role and more about finding the right environment to learn, contribute, and grow. At ABS, our early career programs are designed with that in mind.

A big part of that experience is the ABS Aspire program, our early career development program for recent graduates. Aspire gives participants one year of structured exposure to the business through rotational assignments, hands-on work, and development support.

Alongside Aspire, the corporate intern program helps students and emerging professionals get an initial look at the organization and available career paths.

Just as important, these programs show what is possible over time. Aspire is a proven talent pipeline that has helped develop professionals who have taken on significant roles across ABS.

Together, these programs help answer a couple of practical questions for anyone exploring ABS:What does an early career here actually look like, and what does it mean for my long–term growth?

Aspire: A Structured Start

Aspire is designed for early career professionals with engineering degrees who are ready to begin full-time work and build a strong professional foundation.

Rather than entering one fixed role immediately, participants move through a year-long structured rotational program that helps them understand how ABS operates, where their strengths fit best, and how different parts of the organization connect. The program combines real work, guided development, and exposure to multiple teams.

That structure matters. Early in a career, broad exposure can be just as valuable as specialization. Aspire gives participants a chance to contribute while also building a clearer picture of the business and their long-term path.

Aspire also has a strong record of success. Now in its 13th year, Aspire has demonstrated both longevity and impact. ABS has Aspires from the program’s early years who remain with the organization and have progressed into significant roles, including positions such as Principal Surveyor in Charge (PSIC) and Technology Manager. That kind of long-term retention and advancement is one of the clearest indicators of the program’s value. Aspire is not only bringing in talent; it is building future leaders.

A key part of that success has been the leadership and support behind the program, including ABS Chief Human Resources Officer Chuck Kemper’s role in helping shape, champion, and sustain Aspire over time. His advocacy has been important not only in the program’s development, but also in its continued success and credibility across the organization.

How the Program Works

The Aspire model is built around 3 rotations over 12 months, with each rotation lasting approximately 15 to 16 weeks.

This format gives participants enough time to learn a role, contribute meaningfully, and gain practical experience before moving into a different area. It also helps ABS better understand each participant’s interests, strengths, and long-term fit.

Rotations may vary depending on business needs, function, and location, but the overall goal is to provide a broader starting point than a traditional entry-level role might offer.

What Participants May Experience

Aspire provides both breadth and practical context, depending on the role and organizationalneeds.

Functional rotations

Participants may spend time in different parts of the business, such as plan review engineering, survey operations, sustainability, corporate technology, or other business functions.

Strategic project exposure

Some rotations may include assignments tied to major priorities such as innovation or digital transformation. These experiences can help participants develop problem-solving skills and understand how strategy is translated into execution. In some cases, this allows them to become reverse mentors, where they are teaching very experienced ABS staff how to apply new technologies to their workflow.

Collaboration

As a global organization, ABS benefits from professionals who can work across teams and geographies. Aspire helps build that perspective through collaboration with different offices, teams, or regional priorities.

Customer and field exposure

All Aspires gain visibility into frontline operations and customer interactions while working in the field with experienced surveyors. This helps build a stronger understanding of how ABS delivers value in practice.

Development Support Beyond Rotations

Aspire is not just a series of assignments. It is a development program, which means participants are supported throughout their time in the program.

That support includes:

This combination of real work and structured support is a key part of what makes the program successful for early career professionals. It allows participants to build confidence, capability, and internal networks while gaining a better understanding of where they want to grow.

Additionally, six months after Aspires graduate and are placed into a long-term role, ABS enrolls them in a year-long career coaching and planning program to further support their professional development.

Global Expansion Since 2023

Another important aspect of the Aspire story is its global growth. What began as a strong development program in the United States has expanded meaningfully in recent years, reflecting both the success of the model and the demand for early career talent development across the organization. Since 2023, the program has expanded globally to:

Additional locations are also being considered.

This expansion shows Aspire is not viewed as a localized program with narrow relevance. It is increasingly recognized as a scalable and successful model for developing talent across ABS. It also reinforces the program’s ability to support a globally connected workforce, preparing early career professionals to contribute to an organization where collaboration across regions is essential. Additionally, due to the positive global perception of the program, several Aspire alumni working in surveyor roles are currently on active expatriate assignments in China, Ghana, and the UAE.

The Intern Program: An Earlier Entry Point

For students still exploring career options, the intern program is often the first step into ABS. The intern program is a structured 10-12 week summer program, typically May to August, for students who have completed their second or third year of university.

Internships provide a chance to work on real assignments, meet teams across the business, and learn more about the organization’s culture and day-to-day work. A strong internship experience is not just observational. It gives interns meaningful exposure to the work itself and a clearer sense of what a career at ABS could look like.

For ABS, the intern program is also an important part of the broader early career pipeline. It creates an opportunity to connect with talent early, support learning, and identify individuals who may later return to the Aspire program.

How Internships and Aspire Connect

One of the clearest ways to understand early careers at ABS is to see how the intern program and Aspire are connected.

The intern program gives students an introduction to ABS and helps them explore whether the work and environment are a good fit. Aspire builds on that foundation by giving recent graduates a more structured full-time development experience.

In practical terms, the path can look like this:

Internship → graduation → Aspire → long-term career growth at ABS

Not every intern will move into Aspire, and not every Aspire participant will have been an intern. But together, the two programs create a clear early career journey.

What Happens After Aspire?

A strong early career program should have a defined goal. At ABS, Aspire is intended to serve as a starting point for long-term growth, not a standalone experience.

After completing the program, participants typically move into permanent roles aligned with business needs and their demonstrated strengths. Because they have worked across multiple areas, they often enter those roles with broader business understanding, stronger internal networks, and a better sense of where they can contribute most effectively.

That transition into meaningful long-term roles is exactly why the program’s success story matters. Aspire has shown that when early career professionals are given structure, support, and exposure, they can grow into influential contributors across ABS. The program’s longevity, retention, and advancement outcomes are proof.

From there, career paths may develop in different directions, including:

The main advantage of the Aspire model is that participants are making these decisions with more context and experience than they might have in a more traditional entry path.

Aspire participants also show stronger outcomes in key talent indicators. Retention for employees with less than five years of service was 93.6% for Aspire participants, compared with 89.6% across ABS. Aspire participants were also more likely to be recognized as high-potential talent, with 25% receiving nominations to the ABS high-potential program, versus 4% across ABS.

Why This Matters for Early Career Talent

For someone starting out, one of the biggest challenges is knowing where to begin. ABS’s earlycareer approach helps make that transition more structured and more transparent.

Instead of expecting new professionals to map out their careers immediately, programs like Aspire and the intern program create room to learn, test different environments, and build a strong foundation. They are designed not only to bring people into the organization, but to help them understand the work, develop professionally, and find the right long-term fit.

They also show something else that matters to candidates and employees alike: This program works. Aspire’s continued success, global expansion, and the achievements of its alumni all reinforce that ABS is making a sustained investment in developing talent. Chuck Kemper’s role in helping drive and sustain that success is an important part of that story.

Simply Put

These programs both provide a meaningful start.

For interns, that means exposure to real work and a practical introduction to the business.

For Aspire participants, that means a structured first year with rotational experience, development support, and a clearer path into a long-term role.

Together, these programs show that early careers at ABS is not just about entry-level hiring. It is about building capability, creating opportunity, and developing the next generation of talent across the organization, and doing so through a program with a proven record of success at a growing global scale.

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