InnoBlog: Meeting my industry coach in Barcelona

In addition to all these services, EIT InnoEnergy students are also invited to join the Career Impact Programme. This programme is aimed at the student’s personal development to identify strengths, points of improvement, values, preferred work style and interests. The programme provides the students with a “… clear focus for maximising their contribution to the world of work upon graduation from studies, and ensures they understand how to make a game-changing impact to a team, company and the entire energy industry”.

It is voluntary to join the Career Impact Programme, but I did not hesitate for a second when I learned about this opportunity. I signed up and completed a questionnaire which provided me with an indication of my working preference and preferred role in teamwork.

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Based on my profile of proclivities of working style, I was then matched with a personal coach, a professional with experience of career choices and work life. Each student can choose what to focus on during the meetings with the personal coach. For example, I have previously discussed how I have experienced teamwork, specific challenges, and points to address for my development and approaches to make the most of my strengths. Since the programme is international and your coach can be in a country far away from you, the meetings are generally held online.

However, this week my coach was visiting Barcelona, the city where I am currently studying for the final year of my EIT InnoEnergy Master’s. This gave us the opportunity to meet in person, discussing over a cup of tea. In this context, I felt more comfortable to open up which really added value to the meeting. This experience led me to share an advice with anyone joing EIT InnoEnergy Career Impact Programme: share, be honest and dare to open up from the very beginning. Your coach is there to guide you, but ultimately it is up to you to let them in.

by Maria Isabel Bang, EIT InnoEnergy Master School student

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