Sophie Orme (nee Evans)
Sophie did her Year in Industry placement at ICI plc, Runcorn in 1993 before studying Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Bristol. She tells us about her experience;
The Year in Industry truly did give me a good springboard – I did some vital maturing in that year which I expect led to me getting much better grades in my first year at Bristol University because I took my studies more seriously than I might have done otherwise.
Also, the experience of presenting in front of a large audience and winning the North West presentation award, gave me confidence and
a story which helped lead to my next break – sponsorship with BA Engineering which was quite prestigious at the time. That experience
in turn led to a good graduate job with a top business consulting firm.
I'm now European Projects Director at solarcentury which is the market leading solar energy company in the UK. I've combined my initial roots in engineering with my commercial acumen picked up largely from 5 years in business consulting. In some ways my current job is a far cry from the heavy industry I first experienced at ICI with YINI, but in other ways I find myself frequently drawing on my insights from such a formative experience.
At the end of my year with YINI, I realised that I needed to find a company whose values I really believed in, and a role that could stimulate and stretch me on a daily basis at a company that was adding value to society. I have found those ideals in my current role, and found the realisation highly motivating.
“YINI is... a formative working experience and a great springboard”
Source: EDT
Date Published: September 25, 2011