Training days
The training days provided us with valuable insights by combining content training and soft skills training. The main benefits and learnings for me during the recurring training days were being able to work on both my hard and soft skills with renowned professionals, and being surrounded with peers from different backgrounds and collectively improving our skills by being exposed to different perspectives. As much as it is important to learn from our trainers and colleagues, it is also very valuable to learn from one another as trainees. I notice that I make use of my learnings on a day-to-day basis in my current role, which is something I find very valuable.
Trainee community
The trainee community is filled with young, friendly and smart professionals from different backgrounds. I find it very important to not only focus on our own personal development but also constantly be involved in each other’s improvements by providing valuable feedback to one another. It is especially effective to have a proactive group dynamic.
Fact-based culture
You cannot manage what you don’t measure. If you can measure something and express it in numbers, you obtain valuable knowledge about it. Especially in my field, conducting sustainability analysis, it is very important to create valuable insights from a large amount of data on a solid scientific basis. In order to translate these insights into realistic recommendations, analytical skills such as problem solving and decision making are required.
The characteristics of a trainee
I would describe a trainee as a curious, proactive, resourceful and assertive person with integrity. As trainees, we are young professionals who challenge the status quo. We see behaving with integrity, taking responsibility and being transparent as positive behaviours.
The projects
My first project was to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Trespa HPL panels. LCA is a fact-based tool that provides clear insight into the environmental impact of products/processes by considering the entire lifecycle. As Sustainability Analyst, my role was to collect and analyse annual production data to pinpoint the processes responsible for the highest impact on the environment and to identify opportunities to achieve substantial environmental improvements. Alongside my main project, I was also involved with projects related to internal and external data quality improvement activities and internal sustainability communication. Sustainability is not simply a competitive advantage anymore; it has become a necessity to ensure the continuity of business.
Current position
After my traineeship program, I continued working in Nemho’s Sustainability Team, first as a Sustainability Analyst and now as a Team Leader. My team and I measure and monitor the environmental impact of various companies in the group via fact-based LCA studies. By collaborating with multiple departments and conducting LCA scenarios, we guide the decision-making process for setting ambitious emission reduction targets, and we monitor our progress over the years. We also prepare internal newsletters and training sessions to engage everyone within the group to act on sustainability.