Manufacturing Engineer Review

The experience gained while working in the aerospace industry has been invaluable to my future career. I have enjoyed the variety that my role as a ME brings as I have been able to work with different people and departments, this has improved my social and networking skills which has been a huge positive for me as not only do I find myself improving as an engineer, but I am able to develop soft skills which was one of my goals when starting my internship was to develop in multiple fields not just improve on a limited number of skills.

While working with in a large company where over 2000 people are employed on site I have found that my role as an intern has not had a negative effect on how I am treated. I have found that other colleges are more likely to help me with any issues. This has been a positive for me as I feel while working at GE I am able to improve as an engineer, a result of this has been that I have been handed more responsibilities, making me feel like a valued member of the team and not just the intern.

The support given to me by my managers and supervisors has been excellent; I know that if I have any issue I can go speak to my manager or supervisor when required, without the need to schedule in a meeting. They have been more than happy to answer any questions and offer guidance when asked for.

Overall I would say the work load at times has been intense and other times light. Personally I prefer to be busy rather than have nothing to do. However when my work load has become excessive, I know I can tell my manager who will reallocate my workload in order for me to get back on track.

As my internship progressed the responsibilities given to me have increased from simple tasks to large individual projects, day to day responsibilities where my manager / supervisor does not feel the need to check up on me on a daily basis instead monthly meets where scheduled where we would discuss my progress like every other team member.

My professional skills have developed enormously since starting my placement and will continue until the day I leave. I have also been able to improve my IT skills which will improve my work when going back to university & in my professional career. the biggest skill that I have developed is my organisational skills, which will help me for the rest of my life, as when looking back at how I was when I started to how I was now I can’t understand how I could work like that . This has also helped me with learning how to work with dyslexia while maintain a good working standard.

The atmosphere in the office has been an enjoyable one. Everyone in the office gets along and is happy to work & help each other while maintain a professional working environment. The site frequently has social events which I a great way of meeting people you don't normally see due to work. This helps when working with different departments as you often know someone from that department.

There were some issues when starting my placement due to not have my own computer or desk for the first couple of weeks (mainly due to the leaving intern staying on an extra couple of weeks), and the rotation initially specified did not happen until a much later date. Overall I would say that the organisation has sometimes been a little frustrating but these issues have coincided with work issues effecting the department and/or site.

Even though I have been able to develop my skills due to my experience I have sometime felt that there has not been given the chance to attend many training courses in which I can gain an actual qualification for in which I can use on my CV.

Due to the current state of business I would consider an offer from the company to work from them, however due to the lack of training provided in my internship, I don't feel I would be given enough opportunity to grow as a permanent employee as that seems to be the general opinion of returning inters in full time employment.

There is a really good social scene with the fellow interns, where there are often weekly events in which the interns meet socialise.

As I come from the area I was able to save money by staying with my parents for the year, and being in the south of England the price of living and socialising is higher than other parts of the country.

Southampton has an active nightlife with pubs and clubs for every kind of person. Southampton also has live music venues, theatres and festivals.

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