Vicky Kirkby work experience blog

As a second-year university student, my work experience at SSE Energy Solutions provided me with some invaluable experiences, whilst also offering insight into what my future career path could entail. As an economics student, I have often wondered about the areas of work that are available to me after I graduate next year, but this experience has shown me just how many options there are.

At the beginning of my time here, I was fortunate enough to meet with the business director for an overview of the company and a presentation, providing me with a strong idea of the business’s morals, ideas, and goals. I was immediately impressed with the amount of care and consideration that goes into their work, as well as their passion for decarbonisation and energy efficiency. I was then given a detailed plan, outlining how my time would be allocated and who I would be meeting each day. As so many people have been kind enough to give up their time to show me their role in the business, I have been fortunate enough to gain an insight into many different areas, including:

• Finance
• Commercial
• Branch Co-ordination
• Credit Control
• Sales
• Marketing

I have learned so much since my first day here and developed a multitude of transferable skills, such as Microsoft Excel, that will benefit me in any future career path. This was possible due to the selflessness of all the people that I met, as well as their genuine passion for what they do. It was clear to me from day one that everyone had given up their time to provide me with materials, presentations, and exercises to do, all of which gave me a great insight into what working for SSE Energy Solutions is like. Each person I have met has been incredibly friendly and made me feel welcome from day one.

Amongst everything, some of the days that I particularly enjoyed were in sales and marketing. For my day with sales and accounts, a couple of people were kind enough to travel from Leeds to teach me about accounts management, business development and provide me with an overview of what their roles mean for the business. I was able to see how they work, whilst also getting to ask questions about how they came to their roles within SSE. My days in marketing were enjoyable as not only was I shown and taught so much, but I was also able to apply what I had learned in some tasks that were given to me. I have always been someone who learns through practical methods, so this was the perfect way for me to gain a deeper insight into this role.

Overall, I am more than grateful to everyone at SSE Energy Solutions for allowing me to gain an insight into so many different roles within the business and showing me how passionate they are about what they do. This experience has provided me with a greater understanding of what my career can be like after university, which is something many undergraduates, including myself, struggle with. I can’t say thank you enough.