Mechanical Engineer Review

Overall I found my placement to be an enjoyable experience. I found my work colleagues to be friendly and helpful, and I think everyone had a good attitude towards work. I feel I was given the opportunity throughout the year to gain experience across a range of different areas which I found interesting. This helped me identify my strengths, work I enjoy and areas requiring improvement.

I feel people were generally good at letting me know when my work was valued. The feature that stands out the most and that I really appreciated was the ‘Above and Beyond Awards.’ These could be awarded from one employee to another whenever a person wishes to recognise notable efforts made by another. This was a non cash award accompanied by a description of how that person thinks you performed and the positive impact your work had.

My manager was always approachable and willing to offer help if needed. Each Intern was assigned a mentor for guidance and support. I didn’t find the mentor particularly helpful, I found the people I worked alongside to be the most supportive and helpful over the year. However that was my experience, I know other people found their mentors more beneficial in their situations, I felt it was dependent on where you worked.

I found the first couple of months to generally be quite slow and less busy. Some days I had plenty to do and other days could be quiet. The work tended to be simple and more basic which I think was good while I adjusted to the working environment. Sometimes however it could be frustrating as I wanted to understand more about what was typically involved in my role of work. I felt as the year went on my work load definitely increased. I was given more responsibility and bigger projects which meant I had to manage my time accordingly and prioritise tasks. As a result I was kept occupied on a daily basis.

At the start my tasks were of a simple and more basic nature so that I could get accustomed to the processes and workings of the company. Now I am nearing the end of my placement I feel I am on a similar level with other employee’s. I have the same levels of access and the projects I have been working on require a comparable level of responsibly as that expected from the people I work alongside.

I have completed my studies so my experience definitely revolved around building on knowledge gained from my studies as well as allowing me to establish valuable study related work experience. I felt my placement allowed me to gain experience in a wide range of areas. I have often considered further post graduate study and I feel this would prove beneficial when trying to determine which direction to go.

The atmosphere was definitely very relaxed. People worked hard and were very involved in their area of expertise and everyone was committed to their particular project. I felt it was a very open atmosphere where most were willing to collaborate and help one another. People were serious about their job, but they also maintained a sense of humour which would help keep spirits up.

I felt my internship was organised in the sense that there was a particular programme set up for the interns. We were given responsibility to arrange a number of set events throughout the year and we received intern specific training. The training was mostly at the beginning however some continued over the course of the year. When I first started work at my desk I felt there could have been a bit more organisation. There was time spent and a bit of confusion amongst people when they were trying to help me get set up gaining necessary access and licenses etc. As a result I felt there was very little I could do for the first 2 weeks.

I was given the opportunity to develop my skills in areas such as AutoCAD, Solidworks and Excel. I never felt rushed and was always given plenty of time to work out how to perform different tasks. People would help me and I also enjoyed learning myself using the internet. I was normally given training by more experienced colleagues when it came to using new equipment and software etc. Sometimes I did feel as though I was thrown in at the deep end with little prior guidance, but people were understanding and willing to help if asked.

My internship has been extended for 3 months and I have been told in this time the company will set up my contract to allow me to continue working for another year in my current role. I have been informed if a permanent position arises in this time I am eligible to apply. I think the prospects of gaining a permanent position would be appealing, I think GE is a great company to work for and it is a very handy location for me as I only live 5 minutes away.

Yes the interns would meet up regularly for nights out and trips away. The company encouraged this by letting the interns arrange the fun things such as charity nights out. We were given the responsibility of arranging a team building event for the interns, their mentors and managers. We were given a budget and then were left to our own accord to manage as a team. We set up meetings once a week and allocated tasks amongst ourselves to make sure arrangement were put in place and went according to plan and all necessary provisions were met.

My internship was in Lisburn, my place of work was 5 minutes away from my family home. The cost of living here I would say is very reasonable. Eating out and trips to the cinema are also very reasonable here. There is not a great nightlife in Lisburn as mentioned below. The pubs that are here would not be expensive.

I worked in Lisburn which is a small city in Northern Ireland. I would say the nightlife is not very good in Lisburn. There are plenty of restaurants and places to eat however. There is an Omniplex and Leisureplex nearby for people who wanted the cinema or a swim. There are plenty of gyms close at hand. There are a few pubs nearby but I would say most people would aim for Belfast when planning a night out. Belfast is only a 10/15 minute drive so is not far away and it can be a great place to go out in.

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. Every year there is a golfing and a fishing outing. There is also multiple opportunities to go cycling and walking. The company will pay for people to enter local charity runs and marathons and relay teams are often set up amongst employees. There is a football club that runs every week and there are also other outings such as a night at the dog racing which was held recently. Volunteering is another activity employees are welcome to get involved in, activities can range from painting in a hospital to staff taking over a charity shop for a day.