Mechanical Engineering Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at JN Bentley working as a site based mechanical engineer on the largest project the company had ever undertaken. I gained a huge insight into project management, as well as what it's like to work as a mechanical engineer within the water industry. I would definitely recommend the role, especially to candidates who are driven to take on responsibilities and make the most of their placement year.

This is by far the best point about working at JN Bentley. I felt valued by all the other employees on site, from graduates to chartered design engineers and the contracts manager. The company prides itself on keeping the feel of a family run company even as they continue to rapidly expand.

When I started on the project it was in it's very early stages and it felt like we were slightly overstaffed. My first few weeks were quiet but my boss took time out to explain to me and a new graduate different potential pittfalls and things to watch out for as designs came in from subcontractors. As the project progressed though I was given plenty of work and guidance from many members of the team.

The work often seemed to come in waves, as I was working as a mechanical site based engineer and most of the work was still in the groundwork/civil engineering stage when I arrived. As the project developed I had plenty to do including certain tasks I had to complete every week. On top of other more reactive problems I had to assist with as they cropped up, keeping the job interesting and varied.

Near the beginning of my placement I took on a job role working as a middle man between the procurement team and the design engineers. This gave me a ton of commercial knowledge, having to liase with the buying team, design engineers and suppliers to ensure that all our mechanical and electrical equipment met our needs and arrived on time. If I had made mistakes it would have held up the project, which gets very costly.

The project management skills I gained will be a huge help as I complete my final year project. The placement wasn't the most technical in terms of doing pages and pages of design calculations, however I still used some academic skills and definitely learned plenty of commercial skills that will transfer back into my studies. On top of that I gained a lot in terms of health and safety skills which will transfer back into any industrial job.

There was a great atmosphere in the office, people would generally get a long and have a laugh with each other. It was probably one of the best things about the job. On top of this there were plenty of office events such as; Nights out, go-karting, the races, escape rooms just to name a few.

This is one of the things which let's Bentley's down a little bit. I managed to do quite a bit in terms of visiting different sites and suppliers as well as spending a day with the support staff in the head office but most of this I organised myself. Some of my friends who had placements at bigger companies had much more structured placements.

The company will offer you a job if you do well on your placement, on top of this they may also sponsor you to help with your maintenance in your final year of University. They are very accommodating as well, your placement could be in one area of the company but if they are really impressed they may let you work in a different area of the country when you graduate.

There was a good social scene in my office. I was the only placement student on site for the majority of my time there but there were quite a few graduates and lots of other young colleages. My personal experiences were good but I'm sure it might depend on office etc.

I was based in wrexham which isn't particularly known for it's night life... It can be a good laugh though and it's not a particularly expensive night. If you prefer a more expensive big night out you can always go to Chester though which is a 20min taxi or train.