Summer Placement Mechanical Engineer Review

I had an enjoyable experience whilst working with Centrica. Having been placed in Hull with Centrica Storage Limited I was able to gain an insight to a gas storage business, allowing me to build on technical and non-technical attributes required to excel within the industry. With opportunities to travel and supportive colleagues, I was able to quickly develop my knowledge and apply it to solve real business challenges.

All colleagues who I communicated with were very helpful in providing guidance and answering any questions which would have aided my understanding and development. The company's core values are inclusive and it was clear that the majority of people were open to take out time to explain more about their role and the tasks they are faced with daily. In addition to learning more about their role, I was able to gain an insight to different departments within the business.

My line manager and colleagues were extremely supportive and never hesitated to offer and help or advice. In a high risk and safety critical environment, it became apparent that if anyone was slightly unsure about a piece of information, a team working approach was present to help find the correct solution. As a summer intern I was given guidance to start me off on my projects, however, as time went on I was able to provide help to those around me and join in with the problem solving process as my technical knowledge had improved.

Sufficient tasks were provided to ensure that I could be managing my own time effectively to attend meetings, gather information, problem solve and liaise with colleagues of all levels. It was necessary to be flexible in this role as a challenge could arise at any time and may need to be prioritised. In the event of an urgent task arising, a team approach was used to ensure that a solution could be provided efficiently and that existing tasks were able to be carried out at the same time.

From the onset of the placement, it was clear that the projects I had been allocated had a direct impact on the way the business operated. By developing methodologies to ensure the integrity of mechanical components across the company's assets, it became my responsibility to liaise with other disciplines and seniors to seek the correct information required for the job. Guidance was provided whenever required which helped in completing all personal objectives.

Prior to entering the industry, I had no experience within the oil & gas industry, however there was a lot to learn. Whilst being able to better communicate engineering ideas, lead group initiatives and gain technical knowledge, I was able to develop a lot of soft skills which could be transferred to any role in the future. I was able to build on my leadership and team working abilities which would help me in university projects as well as any future work I choose to undertake.

Most people within the office were very friendly and sociable. Whilst all being very helpful with work related aspects, it was possible to also socialise on a casual level. Weekly sporting activities were running and there was always an out of work activity to be a part of. People were always up for socialising outside of work and all of that helped to settle in to the company more and created a more positive environment in the workplace.

The work placement was well organised and communications between the grad team were mostly clear. On some occasions, the information for engineering summer placements was unclear and did require some last minute adjustments to work which was required to be submitted. This was due to summer placements from other aspects of the business having a different final week schedule to engineers, however, this issue was easily resolved.

Fellow summer placement students were friendly and sociable. Whilst the summer placements were scattered all across the UK for the duration of the placement, it was possible to meet with them in Centrica's Windsor office for a few centrally organised development days. Socialising with colleagues in my placement area was enjoyable and helped to settle in both inside and outside of work.

Based in Hull, a lot of the amenities were very cheap as compared to places down south! For example, it was possible to watch a film for less than £5 and also get two games of bowling for under £5. Smaller, independent food joints were reasonably priced however chain restaurant prices remained the same as they would elsewhere around the UK.