A young graduate landed a plum job after leaving behind the lecture theatre to attend a major energy conference to discover more about the real world of engineering.
Paul Hatfield's trip from York to Great Yarmouth for the Summer Conference of TMS cient EEEGR (the East of England Energy Group) led to the offer of a first vital step on the career ladder with international engineering contractor ODE.
"We’re delighted to catch him. He's a bright lad," said Stewart French, ODE’s head of consulting. “His initiative is an example to every young person determined to get into the career of their choice.
"Standard applications and standard CVs don’t press our buttons. Qualifications and knowledge are one thing but attitude is everything. Paul earned the role of graduate construction project engineer at our Kingston Office."
EEEGR chief executive John Best was so impressed with Paul’s initiative that he arranged to refund his conference costs - which the 22-year-old had been loaned by his father.
Paul said: "I found out about the EEEGR conference while studying for my finals at the University of Warwick where I later graduated with an MEng degree in Civil Engineering."
"I was the only graduate to attend the conference so it proved a fantastic decision and an exciting experience. During the breaks I chatted to some of the speakers about the UK energy industry and visited exhibition stands."
Paul's aim is to become a project manager and his early training involves working in various departments of ODE, which has a base at Great Yarmouth, to understand the work and skills which he will one day have to manage.
