People

Jessica Boyle

“It offers fantastic opportunities to travel, learn new skills and become involved in a hugely successful industry.”

After graduating from University with a degree in Psychology I decided to take a year off to travel this gave me plenty of time to think about my future and which career path I wanted to follow. Whilst I had enjoyed studying Psychology I wasn’t sure whether it was the subject I wanted to pursue a career in. I decided that I may be better suited to a business environment and liked the idea of working for a large company with prospects for learning and the chance to travel. I began to look at graduate programs in different business sectors to gain an idea of what was on offer. Coming from a non-business background as an undergraduate I felt that a programme which offered key skills training in a general sense and one in which I could start to build a background in a specific sector would be most suited to my previous experience and what I was hoping for in a career. The Edgen Murray programme definitely ticked all of these boxes and I was very excited to be offered a position on their graduate programme.

Coming into the programme I had limited knowledge of the Steel and Energy Industries, this however was quickly remedied with courses on Metallurgy, Oil and Gas Industry, and visits to steel mills around the UK. This quickly gave me an appreciation for the massive scope of the Steel Industry and its relation to the energy industry. To put it simply steel is used in everything, construction, ship building, white goods, transportation, oil and gas, and is therefore a product that offers a virtually unrivalled prospect for a promising and exciting career. Whilst on the programme I have also attended several courses offering key skills training which are applicable in any business sector, these combined with the knowledge I have gained about the steel and energy industries have given me a great start to a career with Edgen Murray.

The chance to travel was definitely something that attracted me to the Edgen Murray programme, this has given me the opportunity to understand the size of Edgen Murray’s operation around the world and the different practices, customs, and challenges faced in each location. Whilst travelling globally I have also been given the chance to move around within the company and spend time in the different areas of the business specifically: operations, quality assurance, sales, marketing, and finance. This has provided both hands on training and an appreciation for the functions performed by each department.

Taken together the programme has given me an insight into and understanding of the steel industry and its close relation to the energy industry, I have also been given the opportunity to learn new skills which are both specific to the steel sector and applicable to business generally. Visiting each of the company’s locations and working within different departments has given me a comprehensive understanding of Edgen Murray as a whole. I would definitely recommend the Edgen Murray programme to anyone looking to join a graduate programme, it offers fantastic opportunities to travel, learn new skills, and become involved in a hugely successful industry working for a well renowned and respected company.