Driving the change to a net zero future

As a Renewables graduate, you will have the opportunity to work in onshore and offshore wind, hydro, or innovative technologies such as hydrogen and battery storage. You will be given the opportunity over the two years of the graduate programme to work in these fields on new and existing projects and assets at all stages of project life from conception, through build and into operation. To develop your skills towards chartership, you will be provided with extensive training and a personal mentor to advise you, helping you to develop your career and skills.

On joining SSE, you will be placed in a team matching your degree. Typically, you will spend the first three months in the team before embarking on different placements across other areas such as project development, construction and operations. Our graduates have worked on projects including the world’s largest offshore windfarm, Doggerbank; the UK’s largest Onshore windfarm at Viking on Shetland; and the first large scale pumped storage scheme developed in the UK for more than thirty years at Coire Glas. With support and advice from your mentor, colleagues and previous graduates, you will be able to design your own placement plan to suit your interests and career path.

There will also be the opportunity for travel depending on which placements you select. This would typically be in the UK or Ireland however as SSE grows internationally, there may be opportunity for international travel.

By your second year, you’ll have a clear idea of how the various SSE functions and projects work together and will have developed a network of contacts to help advise you on the career that suits you. Placements in the second year are typically typically three to six months and, as per first year, are your own selection. You will use the skills and experience gained in your first year to help forge a defined career path. It is expected that by the end of your second year, you will have undertaken all the professional training and have the technical knowledge you need to progress your career with SSE.

The graduate programme will enable to shape and develop your career path so you can transition into a permanent position with SSE. Career paths that our previous graduates have chosen include engineering management, technical specialists, and project management. As we grow our business globally, opportunities overseas are likely to become available.

SSE Renewables owns nearly 2GW of operational onshore wind capacity with over 1GW under development. Our 1,459MW hydro portfolio includes 300MW of pumped storage and 750MW of flexible hydro. Our operational offshore wind portfolio capacity is 487MW.

SSE Renewables’ overall aim is to deliver enough renewable projects to generate 30TWh by 2030, trebling SSE’s renewable energy output from 2019 levels. This will make a significant contribution to decarbonising the power sector and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.