Undergraduate Engineer Review

I very much enjoyed the work I completed during my time at MBDA. The work was interesting and challenging without being overbearing or too difficult to allow someone with no experience to complete. The teams I worked in were very supportive and the work I completed was useful and made a real difference to the project.

During my placement I worked in two small immediate teams but was required to liaise with many other stakeholders within different teams. The members of my team were supportive and let me know that my work was both necessary and valued in order to meet required deadlines and contract milestones.

I was given a good level of support by management and supervisors whilst at the company. There was a good network of people I could ask for help or advice whenever it was required. My managers talked me through typical mistakes people make whilst performing key tasks and how best to avoid them.

Due to the nature of the department I was in, there was not really a consistent workflow. This meant that work very much ebbed and flowed so some weeks would be relatively quiet whilst others would be hectic and require long hours. Due to the company's flexitime arrangement I found I did not mind working the busy weeks as I was fully compensated for my time.

I was given a great amount of responsibility during the placement. I was left to write reports, deliver presentations to senior stakeholders and run meetings on a weekly basis. I was also given the opportunity to run tasks through from their conceptualisation through to the proving of the final system.

During my placement I developed a lot of soft skills which will benefit me in my further career. Through activities like facilitating meetings and reviews, delivering presentations, liaising with stakeholders, I developed my interpersonal skills. Through formal training such as ESD, manual handling, working at heights, I have gained professional skills allowing me to undertake a wider variety of tasks.

The atmosphere in my office was good, everyone understood their role and new what was required to meet the tight program deadlines. this created an environment where people worked hard but did not take themselves too seriously and were happy to have a laugh. Furthermore the mix of age groups in the office made it easy to integrate as a new starter.

The general placement structure was very well organised. There was a defined structure to my placement and whilst the work packages shifted to match current work requirements, I was always made aware of what was required of me and where I fit into the package of work that was being undertaken.

The company invested quite heavily in my training and development. given I was only at the company for a year, I was given all the training that was required to complete the work to a good standard. This training included, ESD, manual handling, working at heights and Explosive Safety Awareness

The future employment prospects with MBDA are very good! They have expressed an interest at having me back in the company when I graduate and have stressed that if I require any help from them in final year to get in touch with regards to job offers and any queries I may have.

I lived with 4 other placement students so we had a good social scene. Additionally to this, I worked in an office with an apprentice, a graduate and a young colleague; we had a good social scene and the company encourages a good work life balance to promote healthy living.

My placement was based just north of London so the cost of living was rather high. Socialising costs were also quite high however the company organised some subsidised events which were great to network and socialise with like minded people at work. The company pays placement students quite well so money was not a major issue.

The nightlife was not great in the area I worked in however, given London is so close, it does not take long to get to areas where nightlife is very good. As the site is quite large, going out around work often meant running into colleagues which was nice and helped to make new friends.

The company runs a sports and social club which organises events outside of work. In addition to this, there are several work sports tournaments which encourage friendly competition whilst helping employees to stay active. These tournaments are usually split so buildings compete against one another which is good for team building.