Luke joined RWE as an Energy Trading Operations Placement Student to gain practical experience in a dynamic, international environment – and to collect insights across a wide range of topics. From trading operations to Python-based projects, he shares what his placement has involved and how RWE supports both learning and flexibility.

Why did you join RWE as an Energy Trading Operations Placement Student?

I’ve had an interest in trading and in particular the commodity markets since I was in sixth form. It was great to see that there were a bunch of different roles advertised by RWE, which provided me with an opportunity to expose myself to the whole business. I also appreciated the travelling opportunities whilst on placement, in particular to the head office in Essen, Germany. It was great to meet the rest of my team and catch-up with other colleagues for the first time face-to-face.

Which topics and projects have you worked on so far?

During my time on placement, I was heavily involved with the maintenance and clean-up of our globally approved product database. I was also involved in KPI reporting, and project support such as the implementation and set-up of new products for the desk in New York. Additionally, I collaborated with the graduate in our team to produce a presentation on the growth of new business over the past several years.

I’m also involved in a project with CAO UK, where I built an optimiser in Python to calculate the best theoretical pricing and revenue from a day-ahead reserve power auction. It was great to develop my coding skills and commercial awareness through this work as well.

What does your usual workday look like?

I’ve been given the opportunity to work with the Short-Term Trading team. My day begins with their morning meeting, where we discuss day-ahead auction results and address any ad hoc tasks. Following this, I usually attend some meetings in the morning and have a biweekly call with the other graduates and working students on my team. This call provides a great chance to connect with team members who share similar responsibilities.

I typically spend lunch with my fellow placement colleagues, which offers a nice break and opportunity to socialise. In the afternoon, I engage in meetings with stakeholders concerning my subjects related to New Business and catch up with employees from other areas of the business about potential future themes. Additionally, I have a daily alignment call with my line managers to review my deliverables for the day.

I also have the opportunity to unwind and play pool with my colleagues, which is a great way to build rapport and strengthen team relationships.

What kind of flexibility do you have as a placement student?

My team is supportive of a hybrid working environment, this had made my time at RWE more comfortable as working from home is sometimes necessary. It’s a great feeling knowing that my team not only trusts me, but has also enabled me to do this, I've been offered additional equipment to support myself at home, such as monitors and a personal phone. My university has tasked me with producing an interim report whilst on placement, and being able fit this in around my every-day tasks has been really important.