Name: Jodie McAndrew
Age: 23
Where are you from? Newcastle
Where do you live? Newcastle, just outside of the city in Wallsend
Qualifications and where studied? First Class Ba (Hons) Marketing Management – Northumbria University
What is your job? Marketing officer at Fabricom Offshore Services
What does it involve? I am the main point of contact for all marketing, PR and communications activity and play a key role in the department, implementing campaigns to an agreed timescale, both internally and externally. My main responsibilities include the co-ordination and design of all company literature; researching and preparing press releases and liaising with the company’s PR agency; working with the IT team to develop content for the website; managing our social media channels; planning and co-ordinating in-house events and supporting the marketing manager on a day to day basis.
Why did you choose your career in the oil and gas industry? In order to support my studies. I was employed within the facilities department at Fabricom. I volunteered for some work experience in the marketing department after I graduated and when a full time role came up, I immediately applied and was successful.
Although I fell into the oil and gas industry by chance at first, I found that I really enjoyed it. The fast paced environment combined with the varied job role allowed me to apply my skills and experience – and since then has also given me the chance to learn much more. It’s a great industry to be part of and one that suits my career goals and aspirations.
Did you always want to get into the industry? At first I wasn’t aware of how important the oil and gas industry was to the region and, indeed, the UK economy but after gaining experience and increasing my knowledge I’ve realised how significant the industry really is, both nationally and globally.
We have more than 65,000 people working in the oil and gas sector in the north-east and over 70% of North Sea platforms are built here. Now I’m working in this exciting and challenging industry, I intend to stay here.
How did your education help prepare you? Coming out of university and entering into any workplace is a big step. Although the theory is there, putting it into practice is entirely different. My degree course included a placement year with City and Guilds working as a marketing assistant.
As well as increasing my confidence, this gave me hands-on experience and allowed me to start building up my contacts, a key requirement for any marketing professional.
What are the best and worst bits of your job? My role is incredibly varied and I get to work on all sorts of projects and campaigns – no day is ever the same. I really like the creative side of the job and enjoy the design aspects.
It’s great to be able to bring fresh ideas to the table and see them come to fruition. It’s also a very sociable role. I work closely with a lot of different departments internally and have daily contact with journalists, agencies, overseas colleagues and other industry professionals.
Applying my knowledge to the oil and gas industry has been challenging but very interesting – there is a lot more to the industry than first meets the eye.
Not so much the worst thing, but the thing I find most challenging is the fast pace at which some of the projects move. Juggling journalists, PR agencies, busy executives and international time differences can be difficult when you are trying to sign off on a press release or statement. But then, that’s what keeps it interesting.
What do you think are some of the misconceptions about the industry? I think people automatically assume you need to be male to work there and they are often surprised when I tell them what I do – and also how much I enjoy it.
People also have a tendency to overlook the support services in the industry, focusing only on the engineering element.
At Fabricom all departments are recognised for their hard work and the part they have to play in the company’s success. It’s very much a team effort.
Where do you see your career going? I would like to stay in the oil and gas sector and gain industry specific qualifications through the Fabricom Offshore Services Academy. Ultimately, my goal is to progress through the organisation and become a successful marketing manager once I have gained enough experience to manage my own team.
Do you think there’s such a thing as a career for life these days? Within today’s economic climate a career for life is a rare luxury, however if anyone has a chance at longevity it is those already working in a thriving and prosperous industry. The oil and gas sector has proven to be one of Britain’s greatest success stories over the past 50 years and is forecast to continue.
Obviously, nothing is guaranteed, but if you are lucky enough to work for a company that invests in its employees and you are willing to put in the hard work and commitment, you can certainly give it your best shot.
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