Operations and Engineering Intern Review

When I got my offer to work for GE I had mixed emotions as to how the placement was going to be with regards to working at such a large company and I wasn’t sure what the workload was going to be and how much responsibility I was going to be given being that I was an Intern. Coming to the end of my placement I can say that this has been one of the best years of my life, having learnt a lot of key skills as well as met a number great people.

Equality is a very big thing at GE. Everyone on site treated me like a permanent member of staff and this made me feel very comfortable coming into a large corporate company. It felt a bit like a family with everyone looking out for each other and helping out where needed.

I had weekly meeting with my manager in order to discuss how the previous week had gone as well as what I had set for the coming week. My manager was always willing to help if I had any issues or I needed any guidance. I was also able to approach other senior member of staff if I needed any guidance. I took part in the yearly review at work which meant that I was praised for my strengths as well as given constructive feedback on where I can improve.

Having to run my own projects as well as support my colleagues in other projects I never had a dull moment were I thought I needed more to do. I was always busy and my time was filled with work. The tasks I was involved in meant that I had to work with other departments and this meant arranging meeting as well as conference calls which tend to be time consuming. It is what i may call the perfect balance.

Having to run a flagship project for the plant on site meant that I was given great responsibility. I had a large budget to use and this meant that I had to use my initiative on where to spend this money and what to buy. The great thing about this project is that it made me feels like I was more part of the team being trusted with such a key part of the plant and having to run the project and make decisions myself. If the project didn’t succeed the plant could have shut down and having responsibilities like this would you make you think twice before making decisions as well as engage with other members of the team in order to get advice and make sure the project is a success. I ensured that the project was completed and was up and running before the end of my placement. I was also involved in other projects like running an outsourced build of equipment as well as giving engineering support to builds on site.

Working at such a prestigious company meant that I was given responsibility as well as I received a high level of training. I did an AutoCAD course in line with my work in order to improve my CAD skills and this can be utilized in my future university studies as well as my future career. I gained a lot of other skills such as project management, time management and improved my interpersonal skills having to deal with people on and off site.

The atmosphere at work was very relaxed and comforting. Everyone at work was very friendly and was prepared to lend a helping hand when needed. Having an open plan office meant that it was easy to talk to someone if I needed any help. All of the managers had an open door policy which meant that they could be easily approached if there were any issues or if I needed any advice.

The internship as a whole was very organised with the management having made a plan of what projects I was going to be involved in as well as the training I was going to receive and when I was going to receive it. Meeting with the human resources manager as well as other team leaders on a monthly basis meant that everyone was informed of what I was involved in and what tasks they could set me.

I had a number of training events which I was involved in. the company spared no expense in getting my training done sending me to college for an AutoCAD course as well as arranging a training course about the equipment for all of the new starters. We had a training portal that had courses tailored for my job and responsibilities.

The company has a large number of opportunities across various departments. They have an extensive list of roles and graduate programs and there are a number of routes that can be taken in order to get into a managerial position. Being that the company works out of a large number of countries means that there are also opportunities to travel for work as well as relocate.

There were a few young members of staff on site and myself and the other intern socialised with them on a regular basis with going out for meals as well as heading down to the pub with more people on site on regular basis after work on a Friday night. There were also dinners set up by myself and the other interns for anyone who wanted to attend. The company hold a large Christmas dinner where all site members of staff attend.

Moving to Peterborough from London meant that most things felt cheap for myself and getting a reasonably high salary meant that I could live comfortably.

There is a large number of pubs as well as restaurants and there are some nightclubs around the area but for a better nightlife Cambridge inst too far and has a great vibe with the student life there.

Work was involved in a number of volunteering activities as well as some careers fairs that I attended,