National Careers Week Spotlight - Fraser Prince

As part of National Careers Week , we're shining the spotlight on the career journeys of colleagues throughout SSE.

We spoke to Fraser Prince about becoming a Surveyor. Fraser has worked for SSE for eight years and is based in Perth, along with three other survey colleagues, carrying out overhead line survey work for all regions and business units within Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Distribution.

Here is what he had to say about his career journey so far...

I went to Glasgow University in 1999 initially to study Geography but soon found an interest in Archaeology. When it came to my Honours year, I decided to pursue an MA (Hons) in Archaeology. Much of my studies were focused on the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods but I also spent time in France excavating a medieval Cistercian abbey.

After graduating in 2003 I landed a job with an archaeogeophysical consultancy based in Oxfordshire who specialised in surveying routes for new pipelines and roads, as well as housing developments and mineral extraction sites, to look for archaeological features using geophysical techniques such as magnetometry, resistivity and ground penetrating radar. I got to travel all over the UK and to the Sultanate of Oman on two occasions as part of a research project tracing ancient settlements in the desert.

I then made the leap into the energy industry when I took a new job as Lead Surveyor for Scotland with a company who used non-intrusive geophysical techniques to assess the below ground condition of structures such as transmission towers. This gave me experience working in energy, which led me to my current role within SSEN Distribution in 2015.

As an Overhead Line Surveyor, I primarily use the satellite-based Global Positioning System GPS to collect linear topographic data and then utilise Computer-aided design (CAD) software to design new and existing wood pole overhead lines to the necessary standards.

I really enjoy my job - it is a nice balance of fieldwork and computer-based work, and a wonderful way to visit parts of Scotland you might otherwise never see. It can be physically demanding, and the Scottish weather is not always favourable, but it is an extremely rewarding role.

Becoming a surveyor was not something that was on my radar when I left school, but I am really glad my career path has led me to where I am now.

Feeling inspired? We're creating 1,000 jobs every year to help us create a homegrown energy system that is cleaner, cheaper and more secure. If you're considering a career with SSE, take a look at our current vacancies here.