As part of our 25th Anniversary celebrations, we are interviewing some of our amazing team members to highlight their unique contributions, celebrate their achievements and share their stories.
Tell us about your experience working with Energy & Utility Skills and how long you have worked here?
I have been with Energy & Utility Skills for just over eight years, having started in July 2016 as a Customer Support Coordinator. I held that position for a couple of years before progressing to Supervisor, and later moving into the role of EUSR Service Delivery Manager in 2018. This eventually led to my current position as Product Lead within the EUSR team, which I began in April 2024.
You’ve had a variety of roles at Energy & Utility Skills. How has that journey been for you?
It has been both interesting and educational. I started in an administrative role, learning the basics of our schemes and how to process them. Over time, I gained a deeper understanding of how our systems are structured to support these schemes, developed troubleshooting skills, and built relationships across the organisation, particularly with the quality and product teams.
Overall, the organisation has been very supportive of my development, especially through courses and accreditation schemes. I have had the opportunity to undertake training in areas such as project management, customer service, and leadership. If there’s something you want to learn or develop that aligns with your role, they will support you, which is fantastic.
Tell us about your current role and your main responsibilities?
My role involves working with associates and customers to develop, maintain, and update new and existing training materials, courses, schemes, and programmes, which can range from a day to a week or longer. Once these are finalised, they are passed to the quality team and then to our training providers, who deliver the courses. This process ultimately leads back to EUSR for registration processing.
The change from the busy environment of EUSR to the quieter, more focused setting of the product team has been quite noticeable. Although my interactions with external customers now primarily revolve around gathering feedback and information about new schemes, I continue to maintain relationships with trainers, supporting them when needed and collaborating with the EUSR team to ensure continuity.
What achievements are you particularly proud of?
One of my proudest moments was the launch of Quartz and Quartz Web in 2018. It was a significant team effort involving many people, but being part of the implementation of such a large new system was incredibly rewarding. From testing and building to learning the intricacies of the system, it was a fantastic learning opportunity.
Quartz is now the backbone of everything we do—processing registrations, building schemes and programmes, ensuring quality assurance, and even linking to the website and generating reports. It is essentially the master system for all our operations, and being involved in its development was a major achievement.
The organisation is always evolving, and there is constantly something new to learn, which keeps the work engaging. Additionally, the company culture is very open; if you’re unsure about something, you can approach anyone, and they will take the time to explain.
The organisation is also very supportive of health and well-being, with trained Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs), and I am proud to be one of them. I wanted to get involved as it aligns with my interest in supporting my team and colleagues, especially when I was in a management role.
The flexibility within the organisation is another major benefit. We have hybrid working, which greatly helps in maintaining a work-life balance. It is fantastic to have that level of support, and not many companies offer it to the same extent.
What has been the biggest change you’ve seen since working with Energy & Utility Skills?
The most significant change has probably been the shift towards a more commercial focus, moving away from a predominantly government-funded model. I joined just after this transition began, and while I was initially focused on my own role, I can now see how that shift paved the way for new systems like Quartz, which have streamlined many manual processes. For example, applications used to be submitted by post and processed manually, but Quartz has automated much of that, making us far more efficient.
How do you think hybrid working has affected your role and your wellbeing?
I find the balance of being in the office and working from home ideal. It allows for collaboration when needed and focused, independent work when appropriate. The flexibility to work remotely helps maintain a positive work-life balance, which is essential for mental health. Moreover, avoiding a long commute means I can start my day more productively and without the stress of traffic.
Having this flexibility also allows me to take better care of my well-being, such as stepping away from my desk to go for a walk during lunch. It’s those small things that make a big difference.
Finally, if you could describe working for Energy & Utility Skills in three words, what would they be and why?
I would say flexible, supportive, and empowering.
The organisation is flexible in its approach to work-life balance, particularly with the hybrid model. It is supportive in providing opportunities for personal and professional development. Lastly, it is empowering because if there’s something you want to learn or a career path you wish to pursue, they will help you achieve it. They also involve staff in decisions that affect them, such as when we were consulted on the office redesign, which is not something you see in many companies.