RWE as the next career step

After graduating from high school, I first completed my B.Sc. in electrical engineering and then my M.Sc. with a specialisation in energy systems engineering. My affinity for renewable energies already grew during my studies - so the graduate programme at RWE Technology International GmbH was an ideal start to my career as an engineer.

After a successful application process, I was soon allowed to start my first days as a graduate at RWE. It became clear early on that all graduates were "in the same boat" and that you weren't alone in getting to know a new, exciting environment. So it wasn't difficult at all to network with each other and be open to new contacts. You were literally pulled along by the commitment and got the feeling that you really wanted to achieve something and that mutual cooperation was appreciated.

My time at RWE

A huge advantage of the graduate programme at RWE is the almost complete freedom to decide where you want to spend your time. The many interfaces with the other Group companies offer various opportunities for networking with each other and a comprehensive insight into the RWE Group. So it wasn't a big surprise that I was recommended by a graduate friend to start my first station at RWE Renewables, which was a maintenance campaign for two offshore wind farms in the North Sea. Here I was given my own responsibility early on - at the beginning I mainly supported the campaign management, until I then took over responsibility for handling the logistical processes. The biggest highlight was a two-week stay on the service ship of the maintenance campaign. This allowed insights into the maintenance processes of the wind turbines and the technology of the turbines themselves. Beforehand, I had to go through various offshore trainings and it was worth it - after all, I was allowed on the wind turbine, which is not exactly a matter of course as a "newcomer"! 

At this station, it was unique in my eyes that we were extremely broadly positioned internationally and the most diverse partners from all over the world were involved in this project. Consequently, interface management was a special task - this experience was more than instructive.

The graduate programme

The incentive of the different stations is definitely the networking among each other as well as the insight into the different group companies. You don't just travel on a single "flight level", but go through a wide variety of project phases and can thus explore your own strengths and weaknesses.

My tip to you would be to simply savour every opportunity and take in as much as possible - you have to find your own luck. But you should always take enough time for a task and not put yourself under too much pressure. You will often "have a board in front of your head" and not know exactly how to approach a task. Nevertheless, you are not alone and you will be helped.