Control & Instrumentation Engineer - Summer Placement Review

The work on my placement was a great introduction to the operation and maintenance of a complex on-shore gas terminal. I enjoyed being able to see the range of work that this involved and the opportunity to become familiar with areas that a control & instrumentation engineer is responsible for.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. Everyone I met during the placement took time to listen to me and respected my opinion. This was the case whether it was working with the graduate team down in Windsor, the technicians out on site or the other engineers in the office.

Whenever I needed guidance with a project that I was working on, or help to understand something new, my manager and other colleagues were always willing to give their time. I felt comfortable enough to draw on their experience, which definitely helped me to learn a lot more during the placement.

Depending on what work was going on at the terminal each day, how busy I was could vary. During the ten week placement I was responsible for my own time. This meant that it was up to me how much I got involved, and to make the most of my time it was definitely necessary to take the initiative. As I settled into working at the terminal I felt that I became more able to rely on myself to find work.

I was given responsibility for three projects during my placement, as well as other tasks when needed. As I mentioned in the previous section, I was also fully responsible for my own time. It is definitely the case that the more responsibility you take for yourself, the more you will get to experience and learn during the placement. As well as this, the Barrow Gas Terminals operate with natural gas and other dangerous substances. Even as a summer placement student you are responsible to a certain extent in this regard.

The knowledge that I’ve gained and the skills that I’ve developed will go a long way towards helping after I complete my studies. The placement has given me solid understanding of a C&I role and the type of work that I could be responsible for, which will be particularly helpful if I go on to a graduate role in the industry.

The placement was well organised, from the interviews and assessment centre right the way through to joining the company and being introduced to your line manager. The graduate team were always available to help with any problems you had, and this included sorting out accommodation and a hire car for the ten weeks.

There were several events organised by the graduate team during the ten weeks, all of which took place down at the Windsor offices. These included a day of presentation training (‘Present With Impact’), a team building day and an end of placement presentation event where students from different streams got the change to present what that had done in front of other students, technical experts from the company and the graduate talent board. I also had the opportunity to visit two other parts of the business: Brigg Power Station and Centrica Storage Easington Terminal.

The graduate scheme is four years long and involves four year-long placements across different areas of the business. These could include exploration & production, storage and distributed energy & power. The company is currently undergoing a big change in the way it is structured which could see a lot of jobs move location or cease to exist; this is definitely something to keep in mind as a graduate.

The cost of living in Barrow-in-Furness was fairly low, especially considering that the company provided accommodation for the duration of the placement and covered travel for events and trips across the country. If you’re looking to join a gym for the summer, options outside of the sports centre in Barrow (free for employees) will be relatively expensive.

Being the only summer intern living in Barrow, I didn’t experience much of the place at the weekends. There are definitely plenty of places to go for a drink and the nearby town of Ulverston has a load of good pubs if you want go head out a bit further. In Barrow you’re about an hour on the train from Lancaster as well; a lot of people head home to other parts of the country at weekends.