How our Enterprise Advisors are helping shape future careers
At E.ON we’re committed to developing the green skills needed to help a create new, more sustainable energy world and we recognise that a key part of this is supporting the talent of tomorrow. Our Enterprise Advisor programme allows us to do just that.
Enterprise Advisors are colleagues who volunteer their time and expertise to collaborate with schools and colleges and provide guidance and support in shaping career education and work-related learning activities for students.
Through our Enterprise Advisor programme, we’re enabling our colleagues who volunteer to contribute to the development of future generations and make a positive impact on the local community, economy and job market.
We spoke to Susie Hutchings, Internal Communications Executive and one of our Enterprise Advisors, who recently organised a ‘Sustainability Challenge’ for local Nottinghamshire school children that led to a group of Year 8 students at Brunts Academy visiting our Blackburn Meadows Power Station in Sheffield.
Can you explain your role as an Enterprise Advisor?
My role is to bridge that gap between school and work and help the students understand those tangible links between what they enjoy doing and what they’re good at, and how to apply that in the world of work. E.ON is a local cornerstone employer, and I want to ensure the students understand the number of roles available in a corporate environment and that it’s not just the typical roles they may associate with an energy company.
What are the main benefits of the Enterprise Advisor programme?
For me, it’s an opportunity to give back to the community. Hopefully, for the school it’s a valuable resource in linking to careers, and hopefully engaging students in a different way to the usual classroom activity.
How did the visit to Blackburn Meadows come about?
The Head Teacher of Brunts Academy, the school that I support, asked if I’d consider a project with the Year 8 students to incorporate careers into their curriculum. The students would be choosing their subjects for GCSE the following year, and this project could help make those choices more meaningful for them. I immediately embraced the idea of a sustainability project and spoke to E.ON’s Early Careers Team who gave me the amazing idea of organising a ‘Sustainability Challenge’ at the school and the idea of organising a trip to the power station as a prize.
The ‘Sustainability Challenge’ project lasted for six weeks, during which the students were asked to find ways to make their school more sustainable. They could suggest big ideas like installing a wind turbine or smaller changes like reducing plastic bottle use. The students had the freedom to choose how they presented their recommendations, whether through a PowerPoint, speech or video. And the winning teams of the sustainability challenge won a trip to Blackburn Meadows.
What did the school children do on their visit to Blackburn Meadows?
During the visit, the students had the opportunity to take a tour of the power station and see how sustainable solutions work in real life. This experience complemented what they’d been learning in their lessons as part of the ‘Sustainability Challenge’.
We also invited colleagues from around the business to showcase the different roles and responsibilities within the company, highlighting that E.ON is more than just a typical energy company. Plus, Ian Brookes, our Safety, Health and Environmental Manager at Blackburn Meadows, acted as our tour guide for the day. Ian organised opportunities for the students to talk to some of the team leaders on site and was able to really engage the kids with what they were seeing at the power station.
One of the highlights of the day was when the students had the chance to present their sustainability projects showcasing their fantastic understanding of sustainability through suggestions on biodiversity, recycling, and sustainable energy solutions to both E.ON colleagues and their fellow students. I think this is a great skill to practice in any setting.
What are your highlights from running this project?
The students were genuinely a fantastic bunch of kids, they were really engaged and seemed to enjoy the day. It’s just been such a success. The school has coordinated a green committee and they’re installing a wild garden on the back of this project. The school has also asked to run the project again next year!
Hearing positive feedback is always rewarding and the school’s Deputy Principal, Michelle Hackett, shared: “It was an excellent way for students to see how to apply what they are learning in lessons and through the career curriculum, into a real job.”
If you had to describe the impact you feel this project has had for the students in three words, what would they be?
I really hope it’s brought ‘Sustainability to life‘.
If you’re interested in finding out more about careers at E.ON, visit our early careers webpage.