A Day in the life of an Employee Ambassador

Emily Whiteman is a Health, Safety and Environment Advisor for CNOOC International. 

Last summer Emily volunteered as an employee ambassador, working with a group of 12 students from an Academy in Uxbridge during their three-day residential. Here Emily explains what was involved and what she learnt from her experience...

If you've not heard of it - Outward Bound’s Employee Ambassador Programme brings businesses and schools together for mutual benefit and learning. My company, CNOOC International not only provides funding to enable a number of schools to take part in an Outward Bound programme but as an employee, I was able to volunteer to take part in the residential course with the students, providing coaching and an insight into how the world of employment works.

I was really interested in mentoring the young people and in going to Outward Bound’s Aberdovey centre as I’d never been to Wales before. I didn’t know what to expect and wondered before I arrived if it was going to be difficult to engage with kids I’d never met but right from the first moment of meeting them I thought how fun and lively they were.

I face many challenges in the industry I work in. I’ve discovered, however, that the challenges can be similar in my role as an employee ambassador.

Working alongside an instructor

Ste, the Outward Bound instructor, was positive and passionate about his work which inspired the rest of the group too. He asked me to explain my working life, so that what was learned during our outdoor activities could be directly related back to my work or their school environment. Examples of this included the importance of teamwork, the art of listening and allowing everyone to have a voice.

I loved my time on the Outward Bound course and I hope that it will encourage some of the kids to join me in the oil and gas industry one day. All of them seemed impressed I get a helicopter to work!