Leveraging legal experience in the world of communications
As a recent law graduate, you may be wondering how I ended up in the world of communications. More specifically… why infrastructure?
A totally intentional opportunity as actually, a lot of the planning process is governed by statutory requirements. In fact, throughout projects this is something that Copper must work around. Being able to witness projects going from pre-application stages to approval, allows me to apply the purpose behind planning law. Copper combines two of my interests, the law and sustainability, which is why I found Copper such a perfect fit.
Sustainable impact outside the world of STEM
Copper’s focus on renewable energy is an element that attracted me to the role. Previously, I was led to believe that without a background in STEM, roles that have an impact on sustainability would be limited. However, Copper has happily disproven my initial opinion. A lot of Copper’s work focuses on communicating the importance of green projects to key stakeholders, which is something I am passionate about. For example, working on solar farm projects which when complete, could deliver up to 50 MegaWatts of clean green energy. This all feeds into the wider picture, to contribute to the net zero promises the government has to deliver by 2050. It’s incredibly rewarding to be a tiny piece of the bigger picture.
My journey into Copper
How did I get to Copper? Securing my internship via the Taylor Bennett Foundation (TBF), an organisation that promotes better diversity in the PR industry as a whole. 91% of people in the profession classify themselves as white, meaning people of colour are seriously underrepresented in public relations, but with Copper the were no barriers to entry and the interview process amplified that.
The entire application process was well communicate. Granted my interview in fact felt like a conversation. This style of interview put me at a lot more at ease. With the application process making me more comfortable, allowing me to feel valued as an individual and not ‘just a number’ or ‘just another intern’.
My advice to anyone else applying to Copper for an internship is to vocalise your interests. Making your interests known to your team will allow them to support you in doing work that suits. I have been able to work across practices including Infrastructure and Strategic Communications, learning more from being given the opportunity to do so. Hopefully future interns will be able to gain just as much as I have from my internship!
Copper’s company culture
Copper’s involvement with TBF has translates well into the culture at Copper. Notably all team members have been inclusive, willing to introduce me to new projects and no question has felt too silly to ask. Allowing me to experience a seamless transition into the company, without ever feeling like an outsider.
In fact, now that I have been here for over a month, I am learning that my team come from a diverse range of backgrounds. For example, my colleague Hannah worked at Disney in the theme parks and later, in a digital marketing role for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines before entering the world of corporate communications. Knowing that everyone has a variety of experiences before settling into their career makes me feel at ease, to think that everyone was once in my position.
Overall my experience at Copper has been welcoming, exciting and intellectually stimulating. I am excited for all the new projects I’ll get to work on for the remainder of my internship at Copper!
Interested in finding out more about Copper employee experiences? You can find out about Dylan’s intern experience here.
