SSE share with us an insight into their Corporate IT Graduate scheme:
Kayleigh Cassie
Corporate IT Graduate – FinOps Analyst
Tell us a bit about yourself, what programme did you join at SSE and when, what location are/were you based in?
My name is Kayleigh Cassie, I joined the Corporate IT Graduate Scheme in September 2022 and my home base is Perth, however I work out of the Edinburgh office due to the location of the teams I have worked with.
What did you study at university and what university do you/did you attend/what year group?
Originally, I studied an LLB Law Degree at the University of Stirling between 2010 and 2014, however following a career change I then completed a Degree Apprenticeship with a previous employer between 2017 and 2021, gaining a first-class degree in IT Management for Business from Edinburgh Napier.
Which sectors did you consider applying to for your graduate or placement role and what made you choose SSE and the area you are now working in?
There were a few Graduate Schemes available when I was looking at applying, however the scheme at SSE stood out to me as my first choice. I had researched the companies and could see that SSE had a great reputation in terms of not only its future plans and Net Zero, but also employee satisfaction which you always want to see when looking at career moves.
I worked extremely hard for my IT degree, especially as it was a complete career change and I wanted to ensure success, so the opportunity within the graduate program to take on four different placements based on the areas of IT I am most interested in definitely guided my choice for the IT Graduate Scheme at SSE. I can then use this experience to decide where I see my future career progressing.
How did you find the recruitment process? Do you have any advice for students considering applying for the SSE Graduate Programmes/Summer Placements?
At the start of the recruitment process, I didn’t realise there would be quite so many stages involved. However, there is plenty of support along the way and also regular correspondence and updates when next steps are required, such as confirming when applications and online assessments are due and arranging dates for the assessment centres.
For any students considering applying for the SSE IT Graduate Scheme, I would say to do your research on the organisation, not only just who the company are and what they do, but also future goals and plans as this will give you a competitive edge when it comes to the various stages through the application process. I would also say to prepare general information about yourself, your skills, and the qualities you can bring to the scheme, and practice these so you have answers that can be applied to a multitude of questions you could be asked.
Tell us a bit about your current role, what you’ve learnt and what you’ve enjoyed most.
My current placement is in the IT FMO Team as a FinOps Analyst. FinOps is new to SSE, so the role has allowed me to not only learn more about FinOps for my own development but has allowed me to be part of the roll out of FinOps across the full organisaion. I have been working on ensuring that the principles of FinOps are incorporated and adopted in SSE, working closely with various Business Units to ensure that they have everything they require, we are collaborating on understanding FinOps and how this can be incorporated into each Business Unit, as well as assisting these Business Units as we work through our FinOps Roadmap.
In terms of what I have enjoyed most, being able to network with numerous people across the organisation in varying roles has been invaluable, as it allows me to build on my own knowledge and understanding of the roles people are doing and how we can work together. As well as this, I had the opportunity to undertake the FinOps Certified Practitioner qualification, which was a brilliant opportunity for my own learning, and allows me to bring that knowledge back to the organisation.
If you are working towards a professional qualification, tell us a bit about that and the support you receive on this.
Since joining the scheme, I have had the opportunity to gain the following qualifications:
- FinOps Certified Practitioner
- PRINCE2 Foundation
- PRINCE2 Practitioner
- PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner
As well as these qualifications, I have also been on an Agile Learning Journey, which has allowed me to take part in a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt course, and a Design Thinking Workshop which is again great learning and development for me, and I look forward to carrying on with this learning journey process.
Explore SSE's profile to find out more about how you could get involved!