Meet Steven, one of our technical operators who recently joined Celtic Renewables. He graduated with a Bachelor in Applied Biosciences and Zoology in 2020 which was centred around sustainability. His previous experience includes working with the Armenian National Agrarian University and as a laboratory analyst for a PCR company.
You recently began to work at CRL, how would you say your first few weeks have gone?
SM: Whenever you start a new job, you always have to focus on the training, the health and safety, everything related to that. And although this is the norm, what is different about working at Celtic Renewables is that I am still integrated with the team. Through being part of meetings or being on-site, in the lab, I can actually contribute to something. Even though I may not yet have the extensive knowledge the rest of the team who have been here for longer have, I am able to contribute to the process. After only being here for a short time, I already feel fully involved, which is great.
How did you begin working at Celtic Renewables?
SM: The journey was very short and quick, which I did not expect. I was out having dinner with friends and mentioned that I was going to apply for this job at a green energy company which sounded really good, but that there were parts of it where I thought maybe I was not experienced enough. When my friend asked me about the company name, it turned out she already worked at Celtic Renewables! She then spoke incredibly highly about it, which solidified the fact that I wanted to apply.
However, I was not suitable for the role that was being advertised. I don’t have the expertise and the knowledge, so I thought maybe this would not happen. But they contacted me and said ‘look we can shift a couple of people around in house, we can make a position available for you’. So, they got me in for an interview, the next week I came back for another interview and a tour and at the end of that, I got offered the job! All this happened within the space of two and a half weeks, which I felt really good about!
So far, what is your favourite part about working at Celtic Renewables?
SM: What I like about working at Celtic Renewables is that you are open to freely talk to anybody. Of course, you have your manager and their manager, a CEO etc., but the hierarchy is very flat. You can speak to anyone; ask any question and they will take the time out of their day for you. This is really nice because it means you get to know people in all sorts of job positions, even if you don’t work with them directly. It feels very personable, which is so nice. After only a short time, it made me think that CRL really is a great place to work.
What are you looking forward to witnessing in the future of the industry?
SM: Short term, the most exciting thing for all of us is going to be commissioning. As soon as we start producing ABE and get these end products, that is going to be the most exciting part. It is going to be major. Long term, I am excited to see the countries that we can move into and what deals we can make with other companies, to build a greener future. Who knows, we could be in Japan or China or in other places in Europe, producing something beneficial to the world from these low-value, carbon-rich products. Having Caledon Green as a research plant and reaching out to other places from here, that would be really exciting.
What is one thing you do in your day-to-day life to be more sustainable?
SM: I cycle everywhere, to work, to the shops, everywhere. I also use a lot of energy-saving lightbulbs and am trying to implement that into my flatmates’ lives as well. To me, it’s just small things that I don’t even really think about, it is just part of my daily life.