What does your organisation do?
We aim to be a leading energy company, in a low carbon world. At SSE, we take pride in a job well done and share the belief that a talented workforce and inclusive culture are key to our success and vision for the future.
SSE is a FTSE 35 company operating across the UK and Ireland. We are proud to be a Living Wage accredited employer, and to be the only FTSE100 company to have retained the Fair Tax Mark since 2014. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
What area(s) / disciplines of engineering and technology do you recruit?
SSE is a UK-listed energy company with operations and investments across the UK and Ireland.
We are primarily a developer (which includes being a builder), an operator and an owner of low-carbon energy assets and businesses, with a strategic focus on regulated electricity networks and renewable energy. More broadly, SSE is involved in the generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity, the production, storage, distribution and supply of gas and in the provision of energy-related services. To this end, we recruit all disciplines of engineers for both specialist roles and our entry level early career programmes.
Regarding technology, SSE IT underpins the technology needs of all the different businesses that make up the SSE group. From emerging technologies to data and analytics to cyber security – we power SSE’s growth and enable it to generate value, while keeping it secure. As a trusted business partner that helps SSE lead in a low carbon world, we are proud of our service. Working for SSE IT is all about equipping SSE for now and the future, and again we recruit across a number of specialist areas and also recruit entry level degree apprenticeships and graduates.
How many vacancies do you have and when are the start dates?
- Graduate Vacancies: c50 recruit January – March, start date c. September
- Internships: none
- Placements: Summer Placements Engineering & IT c5-10, recruit September – October, start date c.July
- Apprenticeships: Engineering & IT c60, recruit September – October, start date c. August / September
- Other (please specify): as an organisation, we recruit c3500 – 4000 roles per year across technical, specialist, customer services, and corporate areas.
What area(s) / disciplines of engineering and technology do you have apprenticeship opportunities? Please indicate.
- Engineering construction apprenticeships - Level 2 & 3
- Engineering environmental technologies apprenticeships - Level 2 & 3
- Engineering manufacture (craft and technician) apprenticeships - Level 2 & 3
- Engineering manufacture (operator and semi-skilled) apprenticeships - Level 2 & 3
- Information security apprenticeships - Degree level
- IT application specialist apprenticeships - Degree level
- IT, software, web and telecoms professionals apprenticeships - Degree level
- Plumbing and heating apprenticeships - Level 2 & 3
- Power engineering apprenticeships - Level 2 to 7
- Power industry apprenticeships - Level 2 to 7
- Rail engineering (track) apprenticeships - Level 2 & 3
- Rail services apprenticeships - Level 2 & 3
How do you create an inclusive workplace?
We were the first FTSE 100 company to publish our Gender Pay Gap reporting back in 2016. We are committed to providing detailed disclosure around gender pay each year – even if the findings are uncomfortable, as we believe that our focussed inclusion & diversity strategy will over time shift our culture, and close our gender pay gap. All of our Gender Pay Gap Reports can be found here.
SSE will be the leading company in the UK and Ireland championing fair tax and a real Living Wage. Our long-standing commitment to supporting the Living Wage is now complemented by our commitment to Living Hours. Read more within our Economic Sustainability pages.
As well as ensuring our people are treated fairly, we are committed to providing a substantial amount of revenue to Community Investment Funds. Since 2008 SSE’s Renewable business has contributed more than £23 million in Community Funding across thousands of community projects. Read our latest report here.
Every SSE employee are encouraged to use their “Be the Difference” volunteering day to dedicate their time to projects and initiatives that matter to them. This activity can take many forms, from providing skills-based assistance and fundraising support, DIY or gardening in local communities or even school visits. Since the launch of our programme our people have committed to over 2,500 projects, and we continue to take on more and more each year.
SSE is a signatory of the Social Mobility Pledge, which is a cross-party campaign to improve social mobility in the UK. This is closely aligned to a number of our SSE values and our ongoing commitment to be a responsible employer. We know there is a very strong business case for social mobility, and that it is in everyone’s interests to make sure progress is made in this area.
We implemented our Working Differently initiative a couple of years ago, which enables our workforce to use technology and agile working to maintain a healthy work / life balance. We are delighted that 44% of our workforce currently work differently, and this number is expected to continue to rise.
Awards:
- Utility Week 2018 – Diversity Award
- People in Power Awards 2018 – Inclusion Award - Return on Inclusion – Measuring the Financial Return of Investment in Inclusion & Diversity, SSE
- HR Networks Awards 2017 Strategic People Project of the year 2017 – Inclusion & Diversity
- National Skills Academy 2017 – Diversity & Inclusion Initiative.
What five top-tips would you give to people applying to your company?
- Be authentic
- Do your homework – we love people with a passion for our industry and understanding of the challenges we face.
- Talk to us about your transferable skills, and how these could be beneficial for SSE.
- Be forward-thinking – we need people who understand the challenges and initiatives facing us right now, but also those who can look to the future.
- Get your application in. We have a really diverse workforce and recruit nearly 4,000 roles every year, so put an application in and we’d love to hear from you.
