Engineering Intern Review

My placement at Eaton has been an excellent experience, which I would highly recommend. Throughout the placement I received a variety of work in different areas of Engineering, including test development and design. The intern program provides a series of training sessions to develop soft skills, such as project management and communication. These were very beneficial throughout the year and were also a good opportunity to get to know the other interns working at Eaton.

I quickly became comfortable in my department and felt I fit in well with the team. Everyone was very welcoming and more than happy to help when required. I felt that my work was appreciated by my colleagues and as my placement went on I was regularly asked to assist with project and design work.

Throughout the year I was given a great level of support from my line manager and my department as a whole. I was assigned a mentor who I could approach on a day-to-day basis with any questions or concerns. I had weekly 121 meetings with my mentor to discuss my progress, current work and potential training opportunities.

My workload varied on a daily basis depending on the projects I was working on, however it was generally a good balance. My line manager made sure I didn't feel overloaded and I was encouraged to ask for more work if my workload was running low. I found throughout the year I became busier on a daily basis as my level of responsibility increased.

The level of responsibility I was given increased throughout the year as my manager saw my capabilities and standard of work produced. I was given the opportunity to run multiple projects during my time at Eaton and I had involvement in many more projects of different scales. All of the work I completed had an impact and was important for each project.

I believe the skills I have developed during my placement will definitely assist me with the remainder of my degree and my career moving forward. My experience in design engineering and project management will be hugely beneficial when returning to an Engineering role after University. The soft skills I have developed through the intern program will assist me with my studies and

The atmosphere in my office was very friendly and pleasant to work in. Everyone is happy to help each other to get work done and with the size of the office it is easy to go talk toother departments. There is a canteen on site so you can have a tea/coffee break when required to have a break from your desk.

The intern program was well organised with training every few months at different Eaton sites across the UK. I do feel when I first started working at my site there wasn't too much of a plan regarding the work I would be completing. However this improved quickly and I had quite a lot of input into how I wanted my placement to go.

I attended regular training every couple of months as part of the intern program. These all worked on soft skills including communication, time management and project management. I completed a large quantity of online training through Eaton university, which covered everything from safety to product specific information. If I saw any training I thought I would be beneficial I could talk to my manager and arrange to complete it.

Eaton offers various graduate schemes across their sites in the UK and Europe. The Leadership Development Program is a two year program with the opportunity to work abroad and gain experience in different areas of the business. I am hoping to return to Eaton as part of a graduate scheme once I finish my degree.

There is an opportunity to socialise with all the other Eaton placement students at the training days. If you are at a site with other placement students you will be able to socialise with them. Additionally you have the option to live with other students who work at your site.

I completed STEM ambassador training early on in the placement. This gave me the opportunity to get involved in lots of STEM events at schools and colleges in the local area if I wanted to. At each site there is an events team to organise activities for throughout the year. For example, you can have the chance to go paintballing, go-karting or participate in a bake-off competition.