Public Health Science meets the energy sector

The focal point of the practical activity was a visit from TotalEnergies, an international company within the energy and oil sector with an office in Esbjerg. The visit included both a company representative and an alumnus from Public Health Science who currently works at the company.

The activity aimed to provide students with insight into how their public health competencies can be applied in practice in industries they might not otherwise have considered. In addition, the activity focused on clarifying how subject-specific and general competencies can be valuable and relevant across sectors and job types.

The teaching session was divided into two parts: 

1. Visit from the company and alumnus (approx. 45 minutes):

• The instructor introduced the day’s programme and speakers.
• TotalEnergies presented the company.
• The alumnus talked about their path from Public Health Science to a career in the energy and oil sector and shared concrete experiences of translating competencies from their education into practice.

2. Wrap-up and competency workshop by RIO (approx. 30–60 minutes):

A consultant from RIO facilitated a workshop that complemented the presentations with a focus on:

• The future labour market and competency demands.
• Identification of core competencies in the alumnus’s story.
• Discussions on how academic competencies were activated in the alumnus’s job role.
• Considerations of parallels to the students’ own opportunities.
• Reflection on how this insight can strengthen their competence awareness and employability.

3. After the teaching session:

The students were given access to RIO’s materials in the form of a digital toolbox. Follow-up took place in a later teaching module.

Explore the case in more detail below.

• Objective of the activity

  The purpose of the practice-based activity was to provide students with a more concrete understanding of how their education can be applied in practice through engagement with both a company and an alumna/alumnus. At the same time, the activity was intended to support students’ reflection on how their competencies can be utilized in new and interdisciplinary contexts that lie outside more traditional public health career paths.

  The activity also had an inspirational aim by opening students’ eyes to industries and types of jobs they might not otherwise have considered. In addition, a clear networking element was included, as contact with both companies and alumni gave students the opportunity to expand their professional networks.

• Connection to the course and academic programme

  The activity supported the learning objectives of Project and Career Management, which among other things focus on:

  • students’ reflection on their own competencies.
  • increased understanding of how public health competencies are applied in working life.
  • the importance of building and expanding a professional network.

  The activity was therefore well integrated into the course content and its academic progression.

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• Participants

  The instructor planned and delivered the teaching, while TotalEnergies contributed with a presentation that provided students with a practice-oriented insight into the company’s work. The alumnus supplemented this with their own career journey and experiences from the transition from studies to employment. RIO supported the course through sparring in the planning phase and by facilitating the concluding competency workshop.
• How did the activity create value?

  The experiences from the course show that the combination of company involvement and an alumnus presentation works particularly well in a course such as Project and Career Management.

  This provides:

  • High identification: students can relate to and see themselves reflected in the alumnus.
  • Inspiration for concrete courses of action.
  • Strengthened motivation and awareness of networking.
  • A practical perspective on the application of competencies.

  Afterwards, students were given access to RIO’s materials via a digital toolbox, which can support their next steps towards a career within or outside the field of public health.

• Can the activity be applied in a new master’s programme format?

  Yes.

  The activity is considered highly flexible and scalable. An alumni presentation can be adapted to:

  • All academic disciplines.
  • All levels of education.
  • Different thematic focus areas.

  The format only requires that the instructor and RIO jointly identify a relevant alumnus and a meaningful connection to the course learning objectives.