Carbon Management - Energy Review
at Mott MacDonald
Placement (10 Months+)
Environmental Science
Brighton
Review Submitted: June 2024
Overall Rating
4.6 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
5/5
-
Overview of Role
4.3/5
-
Skills Development
4.5/5
-
Support and Guidance
4.5/5
-
Company Culture
5/5
-
Overall Experience
5/5
-
Future Career Prospects
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
As a member of the Carbon Management team in the Energy unit, I worked on a variety of projects including carbon assurance and carbon assessments, drafting greenhouse gas chapters of environmental impact assessments, undertaking research for internal training programmes or UK government-commissioned environmental projects.
I spent a large chunk of my placement in secondment at (working for) the Environment Agency's national carbon team. This involved day-to-day work with almost exclusively EA staff or other consultants in secondment from different companies.
I spent a large chunk of my placement in secondment at (working for) the Environment Agency's national carbon team. This involved day-to-day work with almost exclusively EA staff or other consultants in secondment from different companies.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
As part of my secondment with the Environment Agency, I was given a clear role with responsibilities and became the point of liaison between two separate teams to facilitate collaborative working.
Being involved in project work with a support / admin role has not prevented me to also carry responsibilities relating to ensuring smooth project management. It was not uncommon for me alongside another new starter on the graduate scheme, to be given the task of drafting a report for seniors to review - which I felt was a good level of responsibility.
Being involved in project work with a support / admin role has not prevented me to also carry responsibilities relating to ensuring smooth project management. It was not uncommon for me alongside another new starter on the graduate scheme, to be given the task of drafting a report for seniors to review - which I felt was a good level of responsibility.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
5/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
My secondment at the Environment Agency allowed me to develop my understanding of good business process inside an organisation that facilitate teamwork and being a clear communicator - especially when things don't go according to plan.
Being involved in several projects at once has enabled me to practice time management, in particular being honest to myself and others about how long a task is likely to take - an important skill in consulting.
I learnt about the challenges to carbon reduction in construction, intricacies of carbon accounting and carbon management, and industry trends for decarbonisation.
Being involved in several projects at once has enabled me to practice time management, in particular being honest to myself and others about how long a task is likely to take - an important skill in consulting.
I learnt about the challenges to carbon reduction in construction, intricacies of carbon accounting and carbon management, and industry trends for decarbonisation.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
3/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
4/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
5/5
Support and Guidance
How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
My team mates and colleagues were helpful and supportive with each task I carried out, whilst keeping a great level of trust that I could produce a good quality piece of work.
The level of guidance I received depended on the project - as a secondee I was given much more autonomy, but this sometimes also meant less guidance, and this sometimes related more to the specifics of an immediate task rather than the big-picture context of my work.
The level of guidance I received depended on the project - as a secondee I was given much more autonomy, but this sometimes also meant less guidance, and this sometimes related more to the specifics of an immediate task rather than the big-picture context of my work.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
4/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
5/5
Company Culture
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
Mott MacDonald culture is great - I was based in the Brighton office where there is a close-knit relationship and atmosphere across a range of grades, and there is no gap felt in interactions between juniors and seniors.
The environment is very dynamic - they recruit a lot of graduates so there were plenty of people my age.
Perhaps because it is employee-owned, but there is a good deal of transparency around the successes and improvements of the company on a quarterly basis or more frequently.
My team in Carbon Management is made of really passionate, dynamic and interesting people and the tea break conversations I would have added a lot of value to my overall learning experience.
The environment is very dynamic - they recruit a lot of graduates so there were plenty of people my age.
Perhaps because it is employee-owned, but there is a good deal of transparency around the successes and improvements of the company on a quarterly basis or more frequently.
My team in Carbon Management is made of really passionate, dynamic and interesting people and the tea break conversations I would have added a lot of value to my overall learning experience.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
4/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
5/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
4/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I really enjoyed my experience - it gave me a great feeling of impact and reward through the projects I was involved with, and it was a good level of complexity. I was surrounded by team members really supportive and driven.
However, the length of time I was on a single secondment with a single client reduced my potential for learning - had I been assigned to more diverse projects, I would have learnt even more.
However, the length of time I was on a single secondment with a single client reduced my potential for learning - had I been assigned to more diverse projects, I would have learnt even more.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5
Future Career Prospects
Please rate the future employment prospects at Mott MacDonald
5/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Mott MacDonald to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to Mott MacDonald
Thoroughly research the types of projects that a given unit or team typically works on. Whilst you will never know in advance what projects you are assigned to, sometimes the tasks they involve are quite similar.
Reach out to people based in the office you are considering applying to (e.g. on LinkedIn) so you can learn more about the office culture, social events, demographics, etc.
If you can, ask someone from the team you are applying to what the pipeline of work usually looks like over the course of the year - they tend to vary seasonally. When teams are low on project work, this means you will likely have less work to do (which is stressful because you will have to justify every hour spent doing nothing!). When a lot of project work comes in, you will likely have to learn to manage your time very efficiently to deliver on all your tasks. It is really good to be aware of that before joining.
Reach out to people based in the office you are considering applying to (e.g. on LinkedIn) so you can learn more about the office culture, social events, demographics, etc.
If you can, ask someone from the team you are applying to what the pipeline of work usually looks like over the course of the year - they tend to vary seasonally. When teams are low on project work, this means you will likely have less work to do (which is stressful because you will have to justify every hour spent doing nothing!). When a lot of project work comes in, you will likely have to learn to manage your time very efficiently to deliver on all your tasks. It is really good to be aware of that before joining.
