Daniel Clarke - Technical Graduate
In six months I hope to finish the graduate scheme and I hope to join system development as an investment team leader. So I'll design my own schemes and be a team leader for that particular scheme. I hope then to become a manager in five to ten years as the graduate scheme obviously is helping towards meeting a managerial role, but I hope also to become a technical specialist.
To fit into National Grid you really need to be ambitious, you need to have a goal and be focused on what you're doing.
Something I've found really useful is the buddy scheme. The buddy is a previous year's graduate and they help you to fit into the company. They've been here for a year previously and they help you out with where to go in the company - any questions about living arrangements, where to live (whether you're based in Warwick or Wokingham), and basically they help you to try and fit in as you're a new starter and it's daunting on your first day and they've had the year's experience beforehand. So they help you fit into the company and make your transition into National Grid a bit more friendly and a bit happy basically.
I have a friend who's with another power company on their graduate scheme and he told me there's a lot of intense training involved at the start of their graduate scheme. You're away from home a lot of the time and it's difficult to get involved with the work that's actually what they're doing - they have no real structure whereas National Grid have three placements and you're within that role for six months and you can get involved with the work that they're doing.
With National Grid you constantly from day one are part of the company and you are involved with the work, which I think is really good. You want to be part of the business and you want to start your career as early as possible and get as much experience and that's what National Grid offer you really.