An inspiring week of work experience at Kellas

Last week we were delighted to welcome two senior secondary school pupils, Emma Woodhouse and Charlie Appleton, to the Kellas offices in Aberdeen for work experience.

With a keen interest in economics and engineering, they were both eager to learn about the large-scale infrastructure assets we own, the projects we invest in, as well as the wider net zero challenges facing industry.

Equally, we wanted to offer them a taste of the world of work, help them develop key skills like communication and teamwork, and boost their awareness of the many career choices in the energy sector.

Here’s how they got on…

How have you enjoyed your time at Kellas?

Charlie: I’ve really enjoyed getting to know what it’s like to be in a work environment, what goes on in meetings and learning all about what Kellas does.

Emma: I have really enjoyed my time at Kellas, and everyone has been super helpful and taken us through a wide range of aspects abut the company.

What activities did you get involved in?

Charlie: I’ve been involved in developing my interview skills and testing them in a mock environment and learning all about the energy transition by taking part in an independent research project on it. I also joined meetings and the monthly company town hall and had 1 to 1s with members of the Kellas team to discover what they do and ask any questions.

Emma: We started off the week focussing on interviews, both as the interviewer and interviewee, which I thought was great practice for the future. We were assigned a research project on the energy transition which I found interesting, and I was also assigned an economics-based project about production forecasts. We had the chance to speak to several different members of the company and sit in on meetings.

What was the highlight of your week?

Charlie: The highlight of my week would have to be all the 1 to 1 sessions I took part in. Not only were they really interesting and insightful to learn about what people do, but they were also a great opportunity to ask questions on how everything works and get advice on my future.

Emma: One of the highlights of my week was taking part in the interview skills workshop. I think it was a really beneficial experience for the future and interesting to consider the process of interviews from the interviewer’s side too.

Emma and Charlie had a buddy for the week, our graduate engineer Harry Ford, who dedicated a huge amount of time and support to make sure their placements were enjoyable and productive.

Harry said, “It was great to spend the week working with Emma and Charlie. I was really impressed by their knowledge of the energy industry and their presentation skills, and it was great to see their passion for innovation and the use of sustainable energy sources to meet our energy needs.”