EP and Swale Borough Council have enjoyed a long-standing relationship, with many successful reward stories. This one is no exception!
Katie Hargrave-Smith from the School of Anthropology and Conservation, recently undertook a work experience placement with Swale Borough Council. EP caught up with Janet Hill, Climate Change Officer, and Grace Couch, Climate and Ecological Emergency Project Officer and EP Alumni!
Janet was keen for Swale to get involved with EP in order to offer students the chance to see how local government functions whilst undertaking a discrete piece of work. Ironically, Grace had undertaken the same placement through EP a year ago, she says:
“I was particularly keen to welcome a student into the placement that I undertook a year ago. EP provided me with the necessary skills to gain employment after graduating, including multiple public sector roles that inspired my journey into local government”.
Grace explained that Katie’s task was to produce a comprehensive report setting the ‘price of carbon’ for an offsetting fund as part of the council planning process and to help achieve net-zero across Swale’s own estate by 2025. Of Katie’s work, Grace commented:
“The quality and breadth of the report is of excellent standard and will provide a great resource to share with councillors and officers to aid decision-making. The information gathered and level of expertise achieved will be just as beneficial to us, as we hope it was for Katie”.
Katie received praise for her willingness to communicate with all colleagues and partners, despite the challenges of the remote circumstances, and both Janet and Grace were impressed with her ability to work independently. Furthermore, both commented on Katie’s strong written communication skills which was demonstrated through the quality of the report.
“By researching and producing the report on carbon offsetting, our climate change and planning teams are now able to progress with the Climate and Ecological Emergency Action Plan goal of establishing an offsetting fund. The written style and excellent ability to convey the information has resulted in a report that can be provided to officers and elected members to ensure informed decision-making.
The calibre of students from UKC and the EP scheme results in excellent opportunities for both students and companies. Students often have a high level of subject knowledge that can be applied to a task in which employers may not have the time to research to such a degree”.