Christopher Chan - Engineering Graduate

First, tell us a bit about yourself! What did you study at university? Where are you based and did you relocate for the grad programme?

I'm Christopher Chan, I joined the company for the Renewables Graduate Programme in Sep 2022. I am now a project engineer with SSE Renewables. Before SSE, I studied at the University of Edinburgh for MSc Sustainable Energy Systems and I relocated from Edinburgh to Glasgow for the programme.

Which sectors did you consider applying to for your graduate role? What made you choose SSE Renewables?

I mainly considered the energy sector because of what I studied. I chose SSE Renewables because, as an international student, SSER is not as strict in sponsoring visas as a lot of other companies. The possibility to work from home is also a great factor.

How did you find the recruitment process?  Do you have any advice for students considering applying for the SSE Graduate Programmes?

The recruitment process is way less stressful than I expected. The interviewers were all very friendly and accommodating. The advice for students applying for SSE graduate programme is just be yourself during the interviews, you're never expected to know everything applying for a graduate programme, but you will be the perfect candidate if you have the willingness and capacity to learn.

Tell us a bit about your experience on the graduate programme, including any placement highlights and opportunities.

I moved around different teams within the business, which has helped me a lot with gaining experiences from different aspects in the industry. I have worked on Hydro, Offshore and Onshore wind projects. I have also been offshore on the Jack-up Vessel which was very exciting. This is a very flexible graduate programme in which you can choose the placements that fit your ambitions yourself.

What are you doing now?

Since completing the graduate programme, I have joined the Offshore Project Engineering and Marine Team as a project engineer. As a project engineer, we have to have all-rounded knowledge about all the Engineering activities of the project, and the graduate scheme placements have prepared me with experiences from all around the company.