I have been working with the Malin Group for about nine months now, first on a five-and-a-half-month graduate placement at Malin Fabrication through the National Manufacturing Institute of Scotland’s Graduate Scheme and latterly on my probationary period as a graduate engineer with Malin Abram.
I’m really enjoying working with naval architects and other teams, and I have been building my knowledge and experience in range of activities including the production of CAD drawings and models as well as helping prepare proposals for major new projects.
The variety of the work here is something that I really enjoy. Every day is different and sometimes unexpected things pop up which keeps you on your toes.
I was recently down on site at Birkenhead working on a project for BAE, which was great. Being able to see the work you are doing in the office translate to the site is so interesting and I particularly enjoy the problem-solving element of on-site work.
The Malin Group is very friendly and I find the people helpful and approachable. In a small to medium sized business there is always better chance to put a face to a name and I think that despite good intentions that can be lost sometimes in bigger companies. I like to think I am a good fit in the team.
I have a family background in marine services as my dad worked in the oil and gas industry for many years, but the main reason I chose this career path is because I’ve always wanted to do a job that has meaning and impact in society. To my mind engineering does that in so many ways.
Renewable energy is a big interest for me, as the need for sustainable processes has never been greater than it is just now – so helping to produce the proposals for a leading client’s renewables project has been a genuine high, affording me the opportunity to potentially impact on helping Scotland and the UK reach net zero carbon emissions.
I feel I can play a part in helping the country achieve some of the ambitious environmental targets we have set ourselves around carbon emissions and I am excited to be a part of that. I was really impressed by all the activity that the Group did at COP26 and I want to help take those commitments forward and make things happen. It will be interesting and challenging to see if we can meet our goals and it will be exciting to push ourselves to do it.
I’m hopeful about the future of the renewable industry, I see lots of opportunities there and I think there are routes there that will allow Scotland and the UK to become really innovative once again.
When I think about the future, one of the things that I get excited about it the potential to help the country regain its position as a true engineering powerhouse and it’s an aspiration of mine to play a part in doing that. We’ve lost our way a little bit, but I believe we can get it back if we invest in regrowing our innovation and expertise in small highly skilled and niche future forward tasks.
… maybe that’s youthful optimism – but it’s a goal. Come back to me in a few years and we’ll see where we are!
