Employee Engagement Coordinator - Intern Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my year at HPE

I felt very valued. I was given a lot of responsibility and a lot of trust was put in me to get important work tasks done.

My manager has been fantastic at supporting me and has given me great guidance throughout my placement through work related issues and personal issues. Managers invest a lot of time in their interns and want to see them develop the most they can.

Some days I didn't have time to stop because I had so much to do and others I only had a few emails to respond to. Having a varying workload has allowed me to complete university work to the best quality and also get involved in organising charity events on site.

I was given a surprising amount of responsibility. This has allowed me to develop as a person and build confidence in my work. I was responsible for many important assignments and was also trusted to present to the UKI Managing Director of HPE.

I didn't receive much training as my job was pretty self explanatory but I have developed so many different skills as you have the opportunity to get involved with a variety of different tasks and business units within the company. My manager also allowed me to work on assignments for university which allowed me to excel in my 3rd year grades.

The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly and everyone says hello!

The placement was very organised. Each intern knew what their job entailed and the tasks they needed to complete.

A lot of time is invested in the interns at HPE. Managers are always keen to help you develop your skills and confidence and work with you in order to achieve this. If ever I needed any help my manager always set up time with me to go over this or if I was having any issues, she was always there to help me.

HPE is very keen to get as many interns back to the company and into the graduate scheme. There are a variety of roles in the graduate scheme which appeals to people with different interests. I will definitely be applying to the scheme after I finish university.

With 9 interns in Erskine for 2015/2016, we were all very close. We did have meals together and nights out so there is definitely a social scene. Bracknell has the most interns and I know they have a great social scene there too so any site you work at, you are guaranteed to feel welcome and be invited to join your colleagues for social activities.

Glasgow and the surrounding areas are relatively cheap to live in comparison to other areas of the UK where HPE have sites (e.g. London and Bracknell). If you are looking for somewhere cheaper, try to get a flat outside the city centre but if you have the extra money to spend, go for the city centre as the atmosphere is great! The Erskine office isn't too far away from Glasgow (around 20 minutes) so it won't cost too much in petrol either. I do recommend you have a car to work here though as it can be quite difficult to get to if you're using public transport.

Erskine itself doesn't really have nightlife but Glasgow definitely does! There are trains from mostly every surrounding area of Glasgow as well so it doesn't really matter where you live, you will be able to get to the centre to enjoy some of the clubs!

As I was part of the Women's Network, there were always opportunities to get involved in networking events that included employees from other companies. There are other teams that you can get involved in within HPE that will give you the opportunity to get involved in activities outside of work.