Fortune favours the brave
University graduates set to enter the job market this Summer are being urged to market their skills directly to employers - that’s the advice from Yorkshire “success story” Rogers Geotechnical Services (RGS) Ltd who have signed up two engineers following their work experience.
The business in Shelley, Huddersfield, now has two young graduates in its six-strong team of permanent engineers – Imran Sakoor and Keele University graduate Rob Palmer.
Keele graduate Rob joined the company on two weeks’ work experience last Autumn and has been rewarded with a permanent role. For Civil and Structural Engineer Imran it was a case of jumping on a bus – which he nearly missed – and introducing himself to RGS as they were in the middle of an office move.
RGS – which recently marked a “decade of drilling” after 10 successful years – has an impressive record when it comes to creating new job and training opportunities for younger generations.
Technical director Steve Rogers is particularly keen to pass on expertise to the next generation of engineers, mentoring younger members of staff, and has worked as a part-time lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University since 2011.
MD Emma Lewis said, “We are delighted to have offered Imran and Rob work experience, which has led to full-time permanent employment for them and also enabled us to strengthen our team. From an employers’ perspective, it is an excellent way to recruit new staff and help them to maximise their potential.
“The RGS team also prides itself on our work as a partner of the Shelley College Entice Scheme, an innovative apprenticeship programme, whereby employers and students are offered the chance to work together before a commitment is made by either party. We are registered as an employer willing to offer work experience and we strive to make a very real contribution to careers provision for young people.”
Keele graduate Rob, who has an MSc in Geoscience, said: "After graduating I applied for numerous grad schemes and geotechnical positions but was unsuccessful. The general feedback I was getting from companies was that I had limited experience, which as a graduate was very frustrating as I hadn't been out of education for more than six months so I hadn't been given any opportunities to gain experience.
“But I then RGS gave me an invaluable break. It proves that work experience is an essential component for an effective CV for anybody seeking a graduate job so my advice is don’t be afraid to go out there and knock on doors!”
Bradford University graduate Imran said, “I spent two years looking for openings without success. Eventually, I realised that I needed a different approach to get noticed and had to take my skills and USP directly to employers, rather than relying on simply filling out application forms and sending CVs.
“So I jumped on the bus – I nearly missed it, what a difference a few minutes makes! I then visited RGS and managed to catch the MD, Emma Lewis, who offered to sort something out even though they were in the middle of an office move.
“I came in, did some work experience and suddenly started getting interviews. A couple of months later, a temporary position as engineer opened up at RGS which turned permanent about a year later. Onwards and upwards – I’ve never looked back.”