Vacation Student Review

I had a really enjoyable time working for Arup. In six weeks I have developed technical and professional skills, and I feel more confident working in industry. I was involved in a very exciting and important project where I got to learn about an aspect of electrical engineering I would have never known about. It was all so interesting.

I became a valued member of the team within days of starting at Arup. My designs have been presented to the client on multiple occassions and as a result our project has moved forward and many decisions have now been confirmed. My ideas have been described as 'refreshing' due to a different social view and this encouraged me to develop my ideas further.

I spent most of my time working closely with one of their graduate engineers and he treated me as equal, and we shared our work between us. When it came to concepts and calcultaions that I had never done before, he would send me information or tell me what to research and then go through his calculations with me. My supervisor would sit at meetings where I explain what I have done and would give me good feedback on how to improve my designs.

On average the work load was less than that at University, and the content was not as complex either. I always had something to do and was often from my own finding. I would definietly reccommend asking anyone and everyone about projects you could help with, I spent my time focussing on one which worked well for me but got involved with lots of different aspects.

My designs went straight to the client so my work directly influenced decisions from them as well as other design features. My calculations were used to base the prediction of generator sizing and my designs of switch rooms showed the client the economical benefit of different circuit wiring. I was helping with input to designs as well as implementing my own.

I have become confident on CAD software which will be valuable in everything I do in the future. I have also learnt how to markup official drawings for clients to read. Sitting in on meetings has shown me how I would potentially conduct one in the future, and how best to participate.

The atmosphere was the most enjoyable part of this placement. Everyone was kind and patient, and eager to tell me about what they were doing and how they got there. I have met a wide variety of people who took different routes to get here and it is exciting to have so many different outlooks on one idea. The free desk system meant you could be sat next to someone different each day, making it easy to work with a variety of people. I was also here for pride weekend which was a massive celebration and the office was a very safe and supportive place to be.

I was not assigned a project until my third day, which meant I spent my first two doing training and trying to find details to look up. Once I got assigned a project I worked closely with a graduate and did not feel like an intern, more of an employee still at University. This inclusivity made me feel encouraged to produce a high standard of work.

There was no training required for my internship, however there were online courses on their e learning page which I went through to learn how to use software. I have also learnt alot about generators and luminaire fittings which I otherwise would never know, and this was interesting to learn about.

Very appealing. I have been told about their graduate scheme where you get to learn from experts different aspects of the Electrical design in building services. It is a competitive scheme to get onto but everyone who had done it said it was worth the work! Most people who had been hired recently were a product from the summer placements and I am confident if I apply that they would take me.

The office were friendly and everyone got on well but there was not any external networking. I was treated well and had a ovely time but it would not have been very appropriate to have done anything more. I did this placement on my own so did not spend any time with any non-employees.

I live and worked in Manchester so the cost of living was just the same as it would be when I am at University there. I walked to work so saved money on travel and social nights would be with my friends from University in the student bars. Manchester is great for a cheap pint!

Manchester is a great city. It is vibrant and never sleeps. No matter the time of day there will always be cars on the road and people to say hello to. The best place in town is the Northern Quater but that is expenisve, the cheaper areas being not as good... It's all about knowing where to go!

There were some opportunities to get involved with outside activities but they were aimed more about elder or long term employees. There was not anything that I could really get involved with but this was okay as I was only there for six weeks and if I work for them in the future I know there would be alot available to me.