How SSE offers a graduate programme with purpose – and great career prospects

A graduate training programme can be a terrific career boost, but you have to pick a good one.

SSE’s graduate programme provides graduates with an opportunity to work for a company that is synonymous in Ireland with renewable energy.

It’s a door into a career with real purpose – helping Ireland achieve its net zero climate change targets. Crucially SSE’s graduate programme is designed to ensure there is a job within the company at the end of it, something not all such programmes offer.

The two-year programme typically takes in 25 to 35 graduates a year, working in areas such as energy customer solutions, renewables, thermal, energy portfolio management or enterprise.

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“Graduates on the programme rotate through three or four of these businesses over the course of two years,” says Leah Murray, head of energy business services at SSE.

“They get to see how the various parts of the SSE energy businesses integrate together, gain real experience, and can see which area of the business they feel most passionate about.”

It could be you

The minimum degree required for entry is a 2.1, but after that, SSE is not prescriptive.

“We are looking for a really diverse group of people with a variety of degrees, disciplines and backgrounds,” says Murray.

“We have some really ambitious targets ahead to reach net zero and we can do it, but a vastly diverse and skilled workforce will be key. Diversity of thought is important for us because our graduates won’t be just coming in to do existing jobs, but to also work in new jobs, with new innovations and new technologies. It’s about fresh eyes and fresh ideas.”

The selection process starts with an online test and video recording. Successful candidates are then invited to an assessment centre where they participate in group exercises, undertake an interview and do a presentation.

“It’s an intense process but it has proven to give us a high standard of graduates year on year,” says Murray. In turn, “We are committed to making sure there are enough jobs for everybody who comes through the programme, provided they put the work in, and we work hard with all our departments to make sure jobs are ring fenced for our graduates.”

Srushti Deotale, continuous improvement business analyst, SSE

“I did my primary degree in electronics and telecommunications engineering in India and came to Ireland in 2019 to do my masters degree in communication and media at University College Dublin.

I had applied for a few jobs but ideally wanted a grad programme as the best way to start my career.

What caught my eye on SSE’s website was its commitment to sustainable development and the fact that its net zero goals were so ambitious. The thought that my work could be part of that appealed to me.

After coming through the interview process, I started on the grad programme in 2021.

All of my rotations were within Business Change at SSE Airtricity, including the digital, analytics and product teams.

I’m also not great with numbers and asked if that would be a problem. Absolutely not, they said. All my managers throughout the rotations supported me with all the necessary training to gain more confidence around data. I was able to enhance my skills in things like PowerBI, which is a form of data visualisation, and product owner training. After completing my rotations, I was able to become a continuous improvement business analyst which uses technical knowledge and communications skills, so feeds into my two degrees.”

What were your key learnings from the graduate programme?

“I learned so much on the programme about building lasting work relationships, and about presenting technical knowledge in a way that can be understood by different areas of business.

As a graduate you can be nervous, especially if you are new to the country, to the company, to the industry as I was. The people I met at SSE though, made me feel included and valued right away.”

Shannon McFarland, brand and advertising executive, SSE

“I’m from Co. Antrim and studied for my degree in business management at Ulster University in Coleraine. As part of that I spent a year working with a local charity to get my diploma in professional practice.

I then took the opportunity to work for the Odyssey Trust within the SSE Arena before graduating from University. I knew I wanted to work in marketing so when I saw the SSE grad programme advertised, I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring.

My rotations included six months each as a business energy commercial analyst, brand coordinator, marketing administrator within sponsorship and an innovation analyst.

There was not one rotation that wasn’t great. They all helped me build my network and I’m still in contact with, and working with, people I met during that time.”

What tips and tricks do you suggest applicants should try to help them stand out?

“Just be yourself. My previous experience was helpful though I didn’t have any knowledge about the energy industry at all. You learn as you go and you will be well supported in your learning. Once you’re in there’s a buddy system in place to help you find your feet and to put you in touch with people. So if you’re applying, just be yourself and enjoy the process, it’s a fun one.”

Lee Waddell, business and commercial graduate – EV operations analyst, SSE

“I did my bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering at Ulster University, which focused mainly on building services with an element of renewable energies. After this I studied for a master’s degree in energy storage, also at UU.

After working as a building services engineer for a year, I decided that I wanted to follow the energy route rather than the engineering route and so decided to apply for the SSE Graduate Programme.

Since joining SSE, I have worked in the home upgrades team in SSE Airtricity, which provides a one-stop-shop service for domestic retrofits.

My second placement was closely aligned to my master’s dissertation and looked at demand flexibility. I am now on my third placement, working in distributed energy in the EV asset management team, which manages the EV charging hubs in Ireland and the UK.

I would recommend working for SSE given the sector they operate in, sustainability is going to be a massively important sector until 2030, 2050 and beyond.

There are lots of graduate events throughout the programme. These give a great insight from senior leaders into the business and provide opportunities you normally wouldn’t get. You come in and have a presentation for a few hours from senior managers and then we all go off and do an activity together. There are lots of social events too.”

Would you recommend it to the next crop?

“This is absolutely the industry for me. SSE is not one of those companies where you stay in the same role all the time. You can move around a lot and they’re very into development, so you are always learning. The grad programme is a fantastic way to get a well-rounded view of a massive company, and great for someone who wants to work in sustainability but perhaps doesn’t know where. I’d highly recommend it.”

Click here to find out more about SSE’s graduate programme