Nuclear Engineer Summer Placement Review

I really enjoyed my placement, I was new to the industry and they were very good at ensuring I was satisfied with the variance and level of work I was getting exposure too. I got the opportunity to work on projects from the start through to finish which was very rewarding, I got a really good insight into the process's that are required to make a consultancy business work and stay profitable.

Very much so, I was frequently given work by colleagues from all levels and they were all appreciative of the works I was doing. They were also more than happy to spend the time giving feedback, spending the time explaining things and introducing me too other people within the company opening new opportunities.

The work I was doing was very individual as is most of the work in the department I was placed in, I believe this is similar in most consultancies. I was however working heavily with other summer placements and never felt hung out to dry by my managers as there was always someone in the office who I could ask for guidance if needed.

The work came in peaks and troughs, there were no strict deadlines with my work therefore allowing me as much time as required to produce quality bits of work. They were much more focused on me learning and producing quality work than being extremely busy and rushing things. There were days that were slower at the start but this built up to a point where I had work to be getting on with 100% of the time.

I was trusted with important work which would ultimately be given to clients after my manager had checked it. This gave me a strong sense of achievement and more confidence with future work. I was also trusted to represent Atkins at very high level client meetings without supervision towards the end of my placement which again was very rewarding.

Atkins were more than happy to put me on training programmes paid for by the company even though I was only a temporary placement, this allowed me to build up skills in new areas separate to those taught at university. The main thing that will be of use during future degree years will be the culture of producing high quality work and checking I am fulfilling the scope of work set. Further to this people within the company were extremely useful in helping me with preliminary studies for my final year project and have said that I can contact them in my last year should I require.

I worked in one of the larger UK offices, which was very modern. The atmosphere was really positive everyone seemed happy with the work they were doing and the management was extremely approachable. One thing I did find unusual at the start was individual nature of work that was carried out, there were very few purpose built design/PM teams instead it was people working in client teams which would happen at client sites not in the Atkins office. You could happily have a chat and a laugh with colleagues or other interns in the office although maintaining a professional nature was very important.

The placement was set up well, I had everything waiting for me on my first day and wasn't left restricted by admin. Some were that hadn't completed their security clearance so don't fall into this trap. There was no set project that I was working on which was slightly disappointing, my manager had tried previous to my arrival for this to happen but it didn't. Therefore instead he focused on getting me to try different pieces of work in lots of different areas of the department.

Massively so, I was sent on a few day training courses along with other full time employees which were very useful. Another main event was getting to visit a nuclear site which would have required a large amount of admin, travel and accommodation costs from the department thus at no point did I feel I was getting less benefits compared to other fulltime staff.

I find the future employment prospects at the company very interesting; in the short-term they have a well established graduate scheme which everyone said was very good. Then more long term the company has a policy where you have a biannual review with your manager to discuss your development within the firm and future positions you may end up in. I was offered to return to the company after my degree (As long as I get a 2.1!!) which was excellent.

Yes, I think the individual nature of the work inspired a really strong social scene outside of working hours. During the summer there was a group of 15+ students (both summer and year long) in the department who frequently met up at weekends and evening to try all sort of things over Bristol.

I lived at home and commuted into work so I cannot comment on how expensive it is to live in the city. However I did go out in Bristol frequently and I felt that on my student salary I could live pretty well and enjoy going out to most events without worrying about the cost.

Bristol has a really good night life, there are two universities in the city meaning there is a lot going on for young people. Loads of really good bars spread over the city (not just in the center) and a few good clubs. I wouldn't say the nightlife is as good as where I go to University in Sheffield (which I would say is well above average) but Its not anything to complain about.

Straight away you are involved in the grad mailing lists and invited to all the graduate events which was really nice, these ranged from evenings out for drinks/meals to weekend surfing trips. I also played football with Atkins staff members against other engineering firms in the area once a week which was another way to meet a lot of people.