Ayşe Hazell Özcan

My degree gave me a variety of key skills which are very important in my career but the most important thing was my passion for the environment and people. The relationship between the planet and people is at the forefront of my job role and how data can provide the drive for change. My degree gave me a wealth of knowledge and understanding of how the earth and people coexist with a mutually beneficial and detrimental relationship. It gave me the ability and confidence to work in collaboration with a whole host of people as well as on my own creating high level reports and delivering presentations. The degree was exciting and included a whole range of topics from human ethics to physical geology which has massively helped balance my career which also has a range of responsibility across many sectors. Despite studying throughout the trials and tribulations of the Covid Pandemic I gained valuable skills that I have applied into my career. The adaptability of being able to work in a hybrid environment allows me to work collectively with teams across the country via online services confidently. Due to the variability of my degree, I became an assured, adaptable and dependable member of the team.

Aside from the degree being my dream pathway I loved the energy of the University with a bright welcoming campus and inviting buildings. I have been familiar with the area my whole life and loved the balance of the quiet town to the proximity of the busy city of Liverpool. I always felt physically safe and secure on and off campus as well as fully mentally and educationally fully supported by all staff members. I loved being fully immersed into the campus lifestyle and all the opportunities it brought to me. The staff in the department come from a huge range of backgrounds and have a wide variety of expertise which meant there was always someone to answer a specific question and allowed for many different routes to be explored within the degree.

Edge Hill gave many opportunities to see how this exciting degree could actually be applied to a successful career. Career talks included a wide range of industries and employers showing real life applications of similar degrees. We were given focused time on building our CV’s and interview practise. I felt confident putting myself into the world of employment due to the encouragement and support I received. I was given many opportunities to discuss my pathways whether that be through further education, a graduate scheme or full time employment.

The three top skills I gained from my degree are:

• Adaptability; as Covid 19 effected the majority of my degree a lot of modules were adapted to be delivered in the climate. I learnt to receive and deliver material in different ways and the ability to adapt to the situation to provide the best outcome. Due to the hybrid nature of my job this made the transition to my career very easy.
• Effective organisation of a work load; due to the variable nature of the degree with a range of topics, modules and assignments from professional posters to group presentations I learnt to handle my work load efficiently. This is key in my current role where I am involved in many sectors and projects which require different things from me and I believe my degree made me a successful multitasker.
• Professional standards; as someone with learning disabilities I was worried I would struggle keeping up in a professional environment but through my degree I learnt how to maintain professional standards. Whether this was through my writing or presentations I was able to access mediums that allowed me to create word of a high standard and I apply these skills into my everyday work life.

I have a strong interested in waste and resource management and I have always been interested in the recycling and reuse industry. During my part time job at University with The Body Shop I ran an initiative with young people delivering material regarding recycling and the ethical materials trade. I knew I wanted to explore the waste management world but in a dynamic and varying role which I have been blessed to find. I wanted to feel like I was making a positive difference and use education, data and policy to drive this which I believe I am achieving.

No two days are the same and I thrive on the variety my position gives me. I am based at home but do go to one of our designated offices at least once a week for a more sociable work day. I also visit waste sites whenever the opportunity occurs. But my day to day work is working on the Merseyside and Halton Joint Waste Local Plan whether that is leasing on updates with the Local Authorities or reaching out to industry for information. I also write the Local Aggregate Assessment for our area which is reviewed yearly and so is always in the process of being updated. I also front the North Merseyside Local Geological Sites monitoring programme which involves liaising with local Universities, the Local Authorities and other interested parties. My days are generally spent in meetings, writing documents, analysing and presenting data, chasing emails and implementing waste policy onto Merseyside and Halton’s planning applications.