Nuclear Science and Engineering Industrial Placement Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement, as it gave me the oppurtunity to see how an operational nuclear power plant works, and I was able to get involved in work that had real impact. I was also able to tailor some of my workload to suit my strengths as the placement progressed, as well as continue the daily tasks that were mandatory for me to complete.

I felt greatly valued by my colleagues, and was given further responsibilites above my job role once I had proven myself to be a useful member of the team. The nature of the placement means that you essentially work for members of your team, so this may vary from department to department, but I cannot complain at all.

I did not have much direct contact with my line manager, regarding workload, as he did not set much, if any of my work. This was not a problem however, as I still had contact with him through weekly briefs and other means, and had no real need for support or guidance because other members of the team were helpful enough. I would say that if I was to need help, support or guidance, my line manager would definitely have been more than happy to help, and I get this impression from other placement students.

My workload really depended on my proactivity to seek out work, which I found an issue at the start of my placement, when I was not too comfortable asking for work. However, as the placement progressed, and my colleagues realised that I was perhaps more capable than expected, my workload dramatically increased, and I was kept constantly busy, which is a much better state to be in. The nature of seeking out work was probably my main issue with the placement, as I often came into work unsure of what I was doing, but this did resolve itself as I progressed.

As with the workload, this solely depended on how much responsibility I wanted, and was willing to seek out. At the start of my placement, I was given next to no responsibility, which was expected, but by the end, I was given a Project Lead role, and was responsible for many aspects of radioactive waste, as well as other jobs. I will say however, that the responsibility that an individual receives will definitely depend on their personality, ambition to work, and colleagues, and my positive experience has been a product of these.

In terms of physics, I have gained some knowledge, but I feel that the skills and qualities I have gained go beyond subject knowledge, and subject knowledge is something that you gain most at university. I have gained work experience (an essential in the current job market, and something that gives you other transferable skills, such as inter-personal and time management skills); knowledge about engineering and systems (because of the nature of a nuclear power station); further knowledge about the nuclear industry; an understanding of how a successful company runs; as well as improving my IT skills, through various projects I have involved myself in. For each project I have been involved with, I have tried to gain a new skill, or teach myself something that I previously did not know, and because of the flexibility of the workload, this was very possible. I think this has greatly improved my attitude to study, and can only have a positive impact on further studies and jobs.

The atmosphere in the office was pretty good, everyone was pretty chatty and helpful if I had any issues. Another positive of the office was that I was surrounded by people who knew much more than me, and who were more than happy to spread their knowledge. I spent time in another department, and had a similar experience also.

My first few weeks were seemingly quite poorly organised, as I had no computer access or full site access, so my workload was very restricted. This was a bit of a struggle, and I have felt that there is no set path/programme that the placement follows, and this still seems odd to me, but it does allow more flexibility in workload, so this may be a positive in terms of finding out what you like about the job.

I was not sent on any formal training courses, as these are mainly completed on the graduate scheme. This makes complete sense, as they cost the company a lot of money to do, and as a placement student, you aren't definitely staying with the company, so it's a potential waste of time. However, most training material is available, so you are able to learn content but not officially pass any courses.

I have been told that I'm wanted back, and I think there will be a strong chance I get onto the gradaute scheme, if I don't go directly into a role. This seems to be the case with most placement students, and EDF do like to hire people they already know, as part of their early careers process.

There's a large number of young people, including industrial placements, people on the graduate scheme, people who have completed the graduate scheme, and those who went straight into a job, so the social scene is pretty good. I lived a bit further away during my placement, so was a bit distant from the social aspect of things, but I didn't mind this.

I lived at home during my placement, so the cost of living was lower.

I lived at home during my placement, so the nightlife was pretty standard for me. I've heard that Ashford isn't too bad, but most people tend to go to Canterbury or Maidstone for a night out.

Because I lived so far away from work, and from most people who worked there, I was a bit isolated from any opportunities. I didn't mind this however, as I was at home with my mates. I know that there is a football team that may edf staff play for, and I assume other activities, but I didn't activity seek anything out, so can't comment too much on this.