Process Improvement Engineer (Intern) Review

I really enjoyed my time working for BMW. It was slow at first as I was getting used to the factory and the people there, but after a few months I really started to become a valuable member of the team. I'll definitely miss working alongside the team on a day to day basis.

The colleagues both within my team made me feel just as much a part of the team as they are. They helped and supported me if I ever had any questions or problems with my project as well as just being friendly people who made the atmosphere in the office a nice place to be.

Both my manager and supervisor were really friendly and always on hand to help and guide me when required. I have definitely learnt a lot from both of them and will hopefully be able to use everything they have taught me in my future career. I am very thankful to them both.

I was never without a task to be doing. When in this enviroment you can work at your own pace however you will have deadlines to meet so make the best use of your time. At the start of the placement there is a relaxed 'integration' period where the workload is reduced whilst you familiarise yourself to the new surroundings, but after that it's mainly up to you how to spend your time.

Again, at the start very little because I didn't know a lot about the business or the factory so I just assisted my supervisor. After a few months I was given my own project and pointed in the right direction by the team. By the end of the placement I was completely independent, meeting with my manager once every two weeks to give feedback on my progress.

One of the biggest skills I have developed is in presenting to a group. I hate standing infront of people to do a presentation, but at the end of my placement I was required to do a feedback presentation to the manufacturing board of directors for the U.K. This was extremely daunting at the time, however with plenty of preparation, I impressed them with my performance and my confidence sky rocketed. Now i feel i'll be ready for any future presentation in university or elsewhere. As well as this I've also improved on my leadership qualities, communication skills and overall professionalism.

I'd describe the atmosphere as fun, whilst remaining productive. There was always a lively and friendly feel to the office. The space wasn't too loud so you could focus on your work, and there would always be someone around to ask their opinion on a given matter. Overall a good place to be.

The internship was organised extremely well. Upon arriving I was provided with an Intern project letter, detailing the six main areas of work I would be focusing and a generalised timing plan to accompany this. When starting the placement I would have regular one to one meetings with my manager to discuss settling in, progress, etc. These were very helpful as it always ensured that I was heading in the right direction.

After completing an internship with BMW I believe there is the opportunity to get fast-tracked into the BMW graduate scheme. This is a great way to get involved with the company as BMW is a global organisation. Making contacts through a process like this is certain to open various doors in your career that may previously have never been an option.

I spent the majority of my time outside of work socialising with the other interns and apprentices. My favourite part about this is that not all the interns are from the U.K. With people from around Europe including Germany and the Netherlands for example, this was a great chance to meet new people and learn about different cultures.