Orchard Community Energy are a community energy society serving Swale and Medway, developing community-owned renewable energy, low carbon and energy efficiency projects. The Society is so committed to supporting the community that their profits go to a community fund that supports eligible projects by local charities.
This year was the first year Orchard Energy have been involved with EP so we were keen to talk to Penny about her experience and her first comment was a great start:
“As well as providing valuable support for our voluntary organisation, the programme also enabled us to increase the age diversity of those volunteering for us. It also allowed us to increase our social impact by providing work experience.”
Orchard Energy generously provided three placements for our students which, according to Penny, achieved a lot. Not only did they learn what type of activities were most suitable for work placements, they gained valuable help with various aspects of the business. Penny stated:
“The placements have provided us with valuable research, tools and material that we can now build on in the following three areas:
- Digital marketing
- Website improvements
- Future development of educational materials for schools”
Lewis Smith was equally enthusiastic about his experience with Orchard Energy and EP, commenting:
“I got involved with the employability points scheme as I wanted to obtain skills and experience that would be looked at favourably by employers after graduating. Additionally, the points system allows me to create a portfolio of skills and experiences that I have gained during university that I would otherwise have forgotten about or would not have concrete evidence for. The placement with Orchard Energy was very enjoyable, particularly due to the great communication and opportunities given by Penny. I was given the independence to schedule my own work times and the creative freedom to explore the topics and requirements of the brief.”
During his placement, Lewis was offered offered the opportunity to support the development of the website to improve the online presence of the community energy company. Part of this role was to become acquainted with various software packages, alongside learning the technical and theoretical framework surrounding this, such as search engine optimisation, brand guidelines and good practice. A highlight for Lewis was attending the 2021 Community Energy Innovation Conference:
“I had the fantastic opportunity to attend the 2021 Community Energy Innovation Conference. This provided substantial insight into the world of community energy and the future that it can have in benefitting local communities and driving forward a greener, more sustainable future – something my course has rarely touched on and, without this placement, I would not have gained experience and knowledge of. Being able to witness the future goals and ambitions of these companies was inspiring and opened my eyes to a side of conservation that I had previously neglected, especially as it touched on economical and social aspects, such as investing and community action.”
Lewis credits Orchard Energy with significantly boosting his website design experience, as well as his transferable soft skills. The placement taught him how vital communication is, time management, organisation, networking, creative thinking and persistence within the work place.
“The skills and experience I have gained will remain ingrained in my work ethic and I hope to adopt the ethos and values of Orchard into all my work later in life. I am extremely grateful to the EP team and those at Orchard for the opportunity to work with them and a special thank you to Penny for her patience and wisdom that she has expressed towards me while on the placement. My advice for students thinking of getting involved with the EP scheme is to make the most of the resources that are available. The Careers and Employability Service also has a lot of great advice and expertise that you can get completely free to help build your confidence and improve your employability.”
Both Penny and Lewis intend to be back with the EP Scheme next year!
More information about Orchard Community Energy can be found here.