Training insight

To shine a spotlight on the subject of further education and training, we spoke to Mark Rose, Project Manager at Primary Power, to find out more:

Hi Mark, thanks for your time. Can you please give us an insight into your career journey so far?

I started out with a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, later moving on to study a Master of Science in Engineering.

After graduating, I secured my first role as a technician and progressed to a Development Engineer in an R&D engineering role. I then chose to move out of the design office environment and went on to undertake a field-based project management role of reactive power sub-station installation and commissioning. In the summer of 2023, I joined the Primary Power team.

In your career progress, has there been something that surprised you the most?

It has been interesting to have the opportunity to travel across Europe and the USA and work across multinational teams. It’s also been great to take on new responsibilities, enabling me to further grow and develop my skills.

How has further education supported you in your journey?

In my specific experience, further education has helped to open doors for me. When combined with on-the-job training, I have been able to progress my career quickly, evolving my experience as  I went.

Are there any specific qualifications or experience required for your role?

A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Electrical Engineering is certainly useful as is both training and experience in project management. You can find out a bit more information on project management and the experience required in a recent blog post here.

Primary Power is proud to have a team with a diverse range of backgrounds. How important is diversity and inclusion to the business?

We have a range of specialists within Primary Power. From those with a focus on sub-station design through to maintenance, project management and installation. Our team is diverse with a range of different skill sets and experiences.

Diversity is important as it helps you to have varied inputs into projects. It can be hard to deliver projects with various elements, so diversity helps to unite different skills and expertise, ensuring that projects are delivered efficiently.

Do you have any goals or milestones that you would like to achieve in the next 5 years?

I’m set to begin work on achieving Chartered Engineering status. This will provide Primary Power with a key benefit, as regards continuing to provide our clients with a further level of quality assurance and for me to further build my skills

Do you have any guidance for anyone looking to get into their chosen career path in the energy sector?

I would advise those looking to forge a career similar to my journey, to get as qualified as you can and continue with your education as far as you feel is necessary. Studying a Master’s is also a good idea, if you can do so, to further build your knowledge.

I would also advise to gain as much hands on and real-world experience as you can. This provides you with the chance to be on-site and see issues up close and personal. This knowledge helps you to discover solutions and find ways to design something more efficient and safer for the future.

Finally, it’s also important to gain knowledge from experienced people around you, to apply that knowledge and take on new tasks. From engaging with clients to your team, push yourself out there to absorb the experiences around you. Then take this knowledge and apply it to the work that you’re doing. There is always something to learn, to help you grow and evolve.

Thanks for your time, Mark. If you are interested in any potential roles that we may have, feel free to get in touch with a member of our team and we will be happy to provide further information.