Carolynne
Watson

Why did you choose to study at NTU?

I needed a location close to home as I had 2 primary aged children at the time and I wanted a course that was a close commute and focused on the environment and human impact on the planet. Brackenhurst Campus was the perfect location and the Geography course aligned with my interest in sustainability and environmental issues.

What did you learn – both inside and outside of lectures?

I learnt so much from the university experience. I had a gap of more than 20 years from studying - leaving school with one A Level and a GNVQ, so I was not sure if I would be accepted. I needed to regain confidence in my abilities – which was the hardest challenge. I also learnt to be open minded – I went into the course not knowing what I wanted to do afterwards – and this was important because as the course progressed I became more interested in sustainable housing, which was not previously on my radar and this led me to my job in green housing grants and housing retrofit.

What have you been up to since graduating?

I now work for Nottingham City Council managing contractors working on Greener Housing Grants. We are a small team working with government funding aiming to reduce fuel poverty and supporting people to retrofit homes with energy saving and efficient measures, such as insulation, solar panels and low carbon heating. Over the last 3 years I have trained as a retrofit coordinator and done a course in Energy Awareness.

What does your current day involve?

It is varied and ranges from approving funding applications, submitting applications to the Government department, reviewing Retrofit reports (retrofit options for homes). I meet with contractors to ensure the project is kept on track, chase updates for homeowners and discuss funding options and the best way to spend the funding, both with the Retrofit Coordinators and programme manager. We also arrange site visits to inspect the installations carried out at homes ensuring they meet the latest government and industry standards. I work in a small team and we work closely with the Midlands Net Zero Hub. We also liaise with Nottingham Energy Partnership to promote the scheme across the city. I am also involved in the procurement process for new funding opportunities.

What attracted you to this field?

During the course I became interested in housing and the impact homes have in the carbon cycle as huge emitters of CO2. As all people need a place to live, it felt like a huge topic and a growing need within the climate crisis. I became interested in the disparity between how sustainable UK homes compared to those in other countries. Timing was also helpful - at the time I completed my degree, Nottingham City Council was recruiting a team to administer funding to make homes more sustainable across the city. I applied for a role in the team, and have moved from an applicant eligibility role, to now managing the funding contracts.

What have been the highlights and biggest challenges of your career so far?

The latest funding project has been very challenging, but our small team worked really hard with a number of stakeholders and managed to deliver all the funding and requested additional to support even more families. The amount of families across the city that we have been able to support over the last three years has been amazing. The case studies and feedback from recipients about the difference the insulation and/or solar panels has made to them is really heart-warming.

What are your plans for the future?

I enjoy working in an area which helps people to improve their homes and help alleviate fuel poverty and to support the city to reduce its carbon impact. This is a growing area and local authorities are leading the way – I love being part of this movement. Thousands of homes across the city will need tackling over the next few years. My aim is to continue in this field and be at the forefront of the retrofit and low carbon heating movement as it evolves and grows.

If you had a time machine, what would you go back and tell yourself at NTU?

As a mature student in my 40s and knowing that this was possibly my only chance to get a degree, I was very focused and got involved with as much as I could – such as societies. I knew how important it would be to me, however, as I was so much older than much of my cohort, I held back at first and worried about whether I would be accepted. So, I would tell myself to be open, honest and just get stuck in, because I studied with a great bunch of students, but it would have been nicer to have realised this much sooner.

Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share with our student and alumni community?

I would highly recommend getting involved with as many opportunities that come your way as possible and to remain open minded about your interests.  I dragged myself along to some of the lectures on planning, housing and development with initial dis-interest, but found it really interesting and it led to a change in the path of my studies and my eventual job because of this. And to not worry if you don’t know that you want to do when you leave university. Everyone assumed as I was a mature student I must have gone for a reason and knew what I wanted to do. Being open-minded sent me in the direction I am now on, for which I am grateful, so I would recommend being open to all the options and possibilities out there.