Student Engineer Review

I fully enjoyed my placement and I feel that I have gained a lot of skills and experience that I will use going forward. EDF energy offered a great environment for me to work and learn in. I believe that I got exactly what I was looking for from my placement.

Over the 16 weeks that i worked in EDF I got to know my colleagues well. They were very kind and understanding in my first weeks working at the company and helped me to feel comfortable in an otherwise new position. The company as a whole made it easy to integrate into.

My supervisors, and the civil design team, were great in offering me support and helped my immensely. As this was my first time working in industry I had little experience before coming to EDF but I was given the tools and guidance to learn quickly. Everyone was happy to answer any questions I had.

I was kept busy every day and I was constantly working on calculation notes. This allowed me to become proficient in software such as Mathcad and Tedds. I was given the time to perfect my work and ensure that there were no errors. This meant I could talk to my colleagues about things that I didn't fully understand.

I was given full responsibility over my work once I was briefed and given the tools to begin. Once complete, calculation notes go through verification process where the work is checked by other civil engineers, this is done to weed out any errors and I found it useful to see where I may have gone wrong.

As this was my first time working in industry I had a lot to learn, but at EDF I was given the time and resources to do so. These skills will help greatly once I return to university as I have improved in both the content of my work but also the presentation of my work. I feel these skills that I have learned will be important for me in the forthcoming years.

I enjoyed the atmosphere in the office as it was a good mix of people who want to chat and others who just want to get on with the work. Meaning that if I wanted to put down my head and get on with my work, i could and if I wanted to have a small chat with a colleague, I could.

From what I could see the placement was very well organised. When I began I had to do the mandatory health and safety modules but after that I was given a desk and some work was swiftly found for me to be involved in. There were no problems at all during my internship with the company

The company gave me all the tools that were necessary for me to work and learn in. These tools included software but more importantly the ability to talk with experienced personnel who have worked in the industry for many years. It was these people who I found very helpful during my time with the company.

Once completing an internship there is the opportunity to become a sponsored student which gives student a opportunity come back for another internship during the summer and also give you a bursary as well. Once you are a sponsored student then it it likely that you will be accepted into the graduate scheme. Overall the structure of the internship a graduate schemes offer great prospect within the company.

Being based in East Kilbride the office was already very close to my home meaning i did not have to move to work with the company. But the area is very affordable and is also very close to Glasgow which is good for socialising. The office is in a good location so workers could commute using public transportation.

The nightlife is East Kilbride is good but it is better in Glasgow which is just fifteen minutes away by public transport and is great for socialising and meeting new people. There is plenty to do in the local area so it is hard to be bored. Overall I feel that the office is well located.