Not 'Goodbye', Just 'See You Later' - Bailey Yule

My name is Bailey Yule. For the past three months I have been a marketing intern for the brilliant Katoni Engineering. To give you an idea of some of the work I’ve done during my time here, I have two words. ‘Done’ and ‘deal’. Or to those of you that decided to give Golf another try after watching the video for the 2023 Golf Day at Castle Stuart, I am proud to say that was also my doing.

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When I walked through the doors of the Queens Road office back in May, I didn’t know what to expect. Yes, we had already met (having undertaken my work experience week there whilst I was still at school back in 2019), but the company had grown a lot since then, and while I was eager to get started, I was anxious about what those next three months were going to look like.

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During my time here, I’ve been involved in a number of projects. As mentioned above, I was responsible for the introduction of the ‘Done Deal’ transfer series you may have seen on our LinkedIn that have introduced our new recruits. Also, I had a great time out at the 2023 Katoni Golf Day at Castle Stuart filming and capturing what was a great day out for all involved. The weather and course were absolutely spectacular and, after a brutal few days of Aftersun rehab, I managed to transform some questionable golfing clips from the day into a feel-good video for all those who took part, and who plan to take part next year, to enjoy.

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Following the release of the Katoni Golf Day video, I was invited by the Aberdeen FC Community Trust to film their golf day and produce a similar video, which I very enthusiastically accepted. This was a very humbling and honourable moment for me, given that I simply produced the Katoni video for a bit of fun and because I enjoy it.

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Aside from content creation and media production, behind the scenes I have been working closely with some fantastic individuals – Debbi, Fraser, James, Lee and Gary - on a very exciting project which you will all see in the coming weeks. However, with credit to James' exceptional leadership style, I had the opportunity to engage not only in marketing activities, but also got a taste of a diverse range of tasks, including shortlisting vendors, arranging interviews, issuing purchase orders and, though it did take a while, putting together a work pack for a client.

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One of the things James made clear to me when I joined was that Katoni wanted to get themselves out there. This meant utilising LinkedIn to post more content and importantly, post consistently. The ultimate goal was to familiarise people with our name and what it meant. To quantify the impact of my contributions in my 3 months here, the Katoni page has;

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• Seen the highest engagement rate it has ever had at 13.4%. (Previously 9.3% in December 2022)
• Attracted the highest number of desktop visitors it has ever had.
• Seen the highest number of mobile visitors since September 2022.
• Since I started here around 92 days ago, we've amassed an impressive 706 new followers. This equates to an average daily growth of approximately 7.67 followers. To put this into perspective, in the entire preceding year, we achieved a growth of 2611 followers. However, in just 92 days, we've already achieved more than 27% of last year's growth.
• Achieved our largest reach since September 2022.
• Accumulated the highest number of unique visitors since September 2022.

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During my time at Katoni, I learned that excellence is not just a goal, but a journey fueled by passion. Being passionate about our work not only elevates the quality of our output but also brings a sense of fulfillment and purpose to everything we do. My experiences here taught me the importance of taking pride in my work, whether it's a creative project or a simple task, approaching it with care and attention to detail is a reflection of our commitment to delivering our best. The nurturing environment at Katoni emphasised the significance of treating colleagues and clients with kindness and respect. Simple gestures of empathy and genuine care foster a harmonious workplace and build lasting relationships. But one of the most valuable lessons I learned is the power of an open mind. By being receptive to others' ideas and perspectives, you can create a culture of collaboration and innovation, enriching both personal and professional growth.

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This internship has helped me develop professionally as it has provided me with hands-on, real-world experience. The practical exposure allowed me to apply the knowledge I had gained from my university studies and gain a deeper understanding of how things work in a professional setting. Being part of Katoni meant I was also exposed to the inner workings of the oil & gas industry, meaning I gained insight into best practices, challenges and opportunities that professionals in the field face. Most importantly, the past three months have provided me with work experience that will be crucial heading into the world of work as a university graduate and is not something everybody is lucky enough to get the opportunity to do – and for that I am grateful.

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In terms of how this experience has influenced my career aspirations, I remain open-minded as to what path I will go down following the completion of my degree. One thing it has certainly opened my eyes to is why engineers are as respected as they are. As someone with no previous experience or education in engineering, it can be easy to underestimate or overlook the role that engineers play in today’s world, and the true grit and problem-solving ability these people possess. To be honest, as a 20-year-old student, studying a very broad degree, it’s hard to say where I’ll end up in the future. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll give engineering a go in the future…

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To bring this to a close, I would like to thank everybody at Katoni for making me feel so welcome during my tenure and for being good sports, taking part in my shenanigans despite how busy they all are. They are truly like a second family to me here.

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I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to James, firstly for the opportunity to be part of such an exciting, brilliant and unique team. Secondly for his patience, words of encouragement, direction and guidance over the three months, and lastly for the trust he placed in me. James (who is probably going to cringe reading this - apologies James) is a fantastic leader, with great ambition and drive who prioritizes making everybody in the Katoni family feel valued the minute they step foot in the door. He also has decent patter from time to time.

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I’d also like to extend my gratitude to Tony Whitaker and Debbi Blackwood who have been absolute pillars of support, making me feel welcome from the get-go. Their warm and genuine demeanor is inspiring, and I cannot thank them enough for always ensuring I felt at ease. I have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside them and helping to bring their creative ideas to life.

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Keith Steele, Lee Scott and Adam Veitch. I want to thank them for being not only great colleagues but also great friends. These three made my integration into Katoni feel seamless and I am extremely grateful for the laughs and memories I’ve shared with them during my time here. Three extremely hard-working, down to earth and good guys who I will miss dearly.

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And lastly to Rebecca, my fellow intern and friend. The deep chats and drama updates added a great deal of entertainment to my internship journey, making me feel like I had a true companion along the way. As our paths diverge, I want to wish you the very best with the rest of your internship – may it be filled with success and growth.

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While it saddens me to leave Katoni, I head back to university to complete my final year, and I look forward to the opportunities that present themselves following that. Hopefully this isn’t a ‘goodbye’, but more a ‘see you later’.

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Yours truly,

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Bailey ?