Operations Intern Review

I really enjoyed my placement year at Eaton as an operations intern in Cwmbran based in South Wales. I was given huge responsibilities from an early stage such as running production, supervising an evening shift that was put in place due to high customer demands and working in other departments.

I felt extremely valued by my colleagues ranging from the operators on the production lines to others in different departments. I developed a strong trust worthy relationship with the operators after a few months of getting to know them. I have also networked across many departments across the business and built strong relationships.

I was given support by many people in all different departments and everyone is really friendly and willing to help but both my manager and supervisor gave me a lot of support and guidance during my placement. If I ever needed help or had a question I know I could ask my manager or supervisor without hesitation.

On a daily basis I had daily standard tasks that i needed to complete but once these were complete i could continue with my project work. However, I am in theory on call for the operators everyday to resolve any issues they may have as I am based in the middle of the shop floor. the level how busy I am on a daily basis pure depends on what issues occur on the day.

I was given a lot of responsibility early on during my internship such as running production for a week without my manager and supervisor. When an evening shift was implemented due to large volume of orders from customers I was responsible for supervising production which included prioritising orders, manning cell load and ensuring all operators understand their tasks and targets.

I have received training in many different things and have developed and improved on many skills such as time management, presentation skills, communication and many more in which I have learnt during my time here. Skills such as time management and organisation will assist me during my degree studies but many other skills I have learnt will definitely benefit me beyond education in my career.

Even though I am with the production and quality team on the shop floor there is always operators around keeping the atmosphere lively and interesting. Everyone is very friendly and kind on the shop floor. As well as everyone doing their jobs we always find time to have some fun through the day.

The placement was set up well with a 2 day introduction to get to know the other interns, complete team bonding exercises, understand Eaton's values and ethics and what to expect when joining the business. On my first day I received health and safety training on site and a tour of the plant.

Eaton invested a lot in personal development by implementing many different types of training throughout the year. I completed training in Excel, time management, presentation skills, organisational skills, assertiveness and communication skills. All these skills I have developed in have been of great use during my day to working life at Eaton as well as outside of work.

Future employment opportunities for Eaton are endless, they do a great graduate scheme that most graduates tend to stay on and further their career in. I would love to be on the graduate scheme when I complete my universities studies because I think I could excel in the business knowing Eaton's values.

I lived with 5 other interns so we had a good social scene, on weekends and evenings we would find activities to do whether its going for dinner or climbing a mountain. I had a good work life balance which I have really enjoyed. With work events which as the Christmas party, birthdays, charity events etc I had many opportunities to socialise with other colleagues from work as well as the interns.

The cost of living in Cwmbran is not too bad but I live in Newport which is about a 10/15 min drive from Cwmbran. Newport has a nice shopping centre with restaurant and bars around which is quite nice but from Newport, Cardiff is only 20 mins away on the train and there is a lot to do there as it's the capital of Wales.

In Cwmbran there is no nightlife and in Newport there is 1 main club but Cardiff is only 20 mins away on the train. Nightlife in Cardiff is great whether you are looking for a cheap student night out or a more sophisticated night out, taxi fares back to Newport are not too bad if there is a group to split the fare.

As I lived with a few interns we did activities outside of work such as pub quizzes, going on a night out, shopping, going to the cinema and many other activities. South Wales has really beautiful scenery so going on walks was something I did with the other interns and colleagues.