Last week, we were delighted to welcome our Head of Contracts, Natalie Stewart's son Oliver to Ener-Vate for his work experience placement.

Over the course of the week, Oliver had the opportunity to explore various aspects of our business from researching district heating to visiting key project sites across the UK.

His week was packed with learning, hands-on experiences and  insights into the world of heat networks and the work we do at Ener-Vate.

Read on to discover what Oliver got up to during his exciting week with us!

From 2^nd - 6^th June 2025, I have been working with Ener-Vate for my work experience. It has been a great experience to get the feel of what it is like being in a workplace.

Day 1.

On the first day, I worked from home and did research on who Ener-Vate is and what they do. Learning about district heating was very interesting and was a good way to start the week and get a taster of what was to come. At 2pm, I had an online Teams meeting which was to show what an induction would be like if I were to apply for a role in the company.

Day 2.

I visited the Ener-Vate Head Office at Genesis Centre in Stoke-On-Trent to get a feel of what it would be like to have an office job. I met some of the team and it was quite a nice environment to stay in for the day. I ended up doing a research task. For my first time ever working in an office, I would say it was a really enjoyable time.

Day 3.

On day 3, I visited Liverpool to see the Mersey Heat energy centre where I met James Hadfield who gave me an overview of what Mersey Heat is. We had a walk around the energy centre and looked at the canal, which is where they get the heat for the energy to be produced. Within the energy centre, there was a huge water source heat pump. The pump has the capacity to provide heat and hot water for around 2km of Liverpool’s waterfront, which is actually quite impressive! It was also made sure that I wore appropriate PPE to stay safe while in the energy centre. Part of my task this week was to take photographs of Mersey Heat, which I really enjoyed doing! 

Day 4.

On day 4 I travelled down to London to meet Drew Walker in a co-working space. I watched some videos online about Mersey Heat as after Wednesday, I understand it more now. With Drew, I had a look at heat maps and the commercial side of Ener-Vate. It was interesting to see the different aspects of the company and how it all works. Definitely a different day to the past two days, but was very enjoyable and a comfortable space to be and work in. I also sat in a Clapham Park JV meeting with Natalie Ford (my mum!). This was complicated to me, but was interesting to be in the meeting and learn a bit about housing development construction and how district heating factors into it.  

Day 5.

On the last day I worked from home again. I spent time editing my photos from Mersey Heat which I sent through to Sarah Elson which will hopefully be used on the Ener-Vate website. I also re-capped on what I have done during the week and sat with Natalie during a BRL project meeting.

Overall, working with Ener-Vate for my work experience has been a great opportunity to get an insight as to what it would be like working for a company like this. It was really fun going out and seeing the different projects Ener-Vate are involved with. Everyone I met was really welcoming and made me feel part of the team, which was really nice. Thank you to everyone at Ener-Vate for a great work experience!

 

Thank you Oliver for your help while you were with us. We're so glad you found the week useful!