Planning Engineer Review

As an outage planner within the operational planning department, I will be responsible for planning and implementing the current year outages in order for the electricity grid to keep up and running. I am office based and work with internal and external stakeholders.

I have learnt lots of new practical role specific skills as I did not previously have an understanding of this sector; I also have developed my existing interpersonal skills. When I started the apprenticeship I knew nothing about electrical principles and now I have passed an exam in it.

Having worked in a variety of sectors previously, I feel most at home in this apprenticeship in comparison to all my other job roles and education. National Grid treats employees well; I feel valued and there is lots of support and opportunity for growth. I can sometimes struggle with the education side of the programme because the content is hard but that is to be expected of an apprenticeship of this standard.

Having worked in the apprenticeship sector previously, I have an appreciation of how National Grid manage this and feel that it is ran extremely effectively. We are provided with plans in advance and kept in the loop with regards to structural changes, and we have a say in how things are organised and structured. I also feel that it has done a good job of getting people from different backgrounds up to a similar standard. Like anything there is room for some organisational improvement but a lot of this will be subjective and my opinions will differ to someone elses in how things should be tackled. Overall I think it is well organised and structured.

There is an exceptional level of support from my employer, in all senses of the word. I have never been this well treated at any previous roles, from the pastoral support through to reasonable pay. I feel very valued at National Grid.

A good level of support is provided and there is opportunity to seek support if more is needed.

I have a better understanding of the role, the sector, and the science behind what we do. My responsibilities are clearer and easier as a result and I feel like I belong which puts me in a motivated headspace and I want to do well within my role.

There are lots of extra-curricular activities to get involved with, many of which I have already taken part in. There are employee resource groups and I have joined a few groups and attended various webinars and social events.

Yes

Primarily for the culture of the company, reflected in personal benefits, security and support. There is lots of opportunity for progression, and I feel that each employee is genuinely valued, for not only the work they do, but also who they are as a person. Interpersonal skills are valued more so than other companies and there is a culture of growth as an individual and how diversity contributes to a team. There are lots of signs that National Grid try to do the right thing, even simple things such as having exclusively reusable mugs in the office.

Do your research into the company and how the grid runs, in preparation for the interview. Watch youtube videos on electricity generation, distribution, and transmission and follow National Grid on social media or read news articles to understand what is relevant. Be authentic and don't try to be someone you're not - National Grid values an honest character who wants to work to improve themselves and the world around them.