* Authors: María Luz Cruz Aparicio, Marta Cristos Amarelo and Ángel Galán Martín *
Hi everyone! We are María Luz Cruz, Marta Cristos and Ángel Galán, three scholarship holders from Fundación Iberdrola. This year, we’ve been studying Energy and the Environment here in Spain. More specifically, we’ve been taking Master’s degree courses in Energy and Fuel for the Future (at UAM), Sustainable Development Management (at Uvigo) and Renewable Energy (at UJA), respectively. We’ve also had internships at the Iberdrola Innovation, Environment and Quality Division and now wish to share our experiences with you.
For me, María Luz , such hands-on experience has allowed me to learn exactly how R&D is managed at Iberdrola as I have been able to take part in numerous activities: compiling the Innovation Report 2011-2012, technical-economic monitoring of projects relating to R&D and the environment, industrial property management, tax incentives and external financing, among others.
These practical activities have enabled me to complete my training and acquire new knowledge, which I’m sure has greatly increased my career opportunities within a new ambit: the Innovation Management sector.
In my case, I, Marta , have undertaken my internship with the Sustainability Division, primarily compiling questionnaires on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) , Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and other environmental performance indexes of worldwide importance for the entire Group. It has been a fascinating time that has allowed me to learn from the best electric utility in this field. I’ve also been able to take part in presentations on sustainability and environmental management of the Company and conduct emission factor benchmarking studies, which has complemented my studies perfectly.
Last but not least, for me, Ángel , this period has also allowed me to gain considerable knowledge. I’ve carried out my internship with the Environment Division, actively collaborating in environmental management. The corporate focus of the work has afforded me great insight as to how the Group manages both climate change and the environment in general. I’ve been fortunate enough to take part in the implementation and ongoing improvement of the Comprehensive Environmental Management System, in accordance with the UNE-EN ISO 14001 standard, which has been of enormous value to me. I’ve also helped in the internal audit for monitoring and control purposes as well as the external audit and the obtaining of the certification.
For all of the above, we’d like to thank our tutors Beatriz Crisóstomo, Mónica Oviedo and Bernardo Llaneza for this opportunity and for supporting us every step of the way. We also wish to thank Fundación Iberdrola for the trust they have placed in us and for giving us the chance to gain practical experience at this Company, for which we feel immensely privileged. And, of course, we mustn’t forget our friends and colleagues at each department, who have involved themselves in our training, enhanced our work environment and made this such a positive experience from day one. They simply make us want to come to work everyday, with our batteries fully charged and eager to work hard.
