S,C&I Engineering Intern Review

The summer internship at Centrica provided me with a great view of engineering in industry and I learnt a lot while working there. My placement was spent doing a project but also getting experience in many areas within the business and being involved with a number of different things, providing me with a well-rounded placement.

My colleagues at the CSL office were amazing and supportive, by the end of the placement I felt extremely comfortable around everyone and the office had a great family-feel. I felt like I was really adding value, working on projects that were useful to my department and that my input was genuinely wanted.

My managers were always available if I had any problems or questions. They always ensured I had something to work on and that I was happy and comfortable with my workload and nature of work. They also put a lot of effort into trying to get me involved in different areas of the business and have a lot of different experiences.

I knew from the start of the placement how much I had to complete, I knew what my project was before arriving and I was aware of various other tasks I would have to complete. This meant that how busy I was on a daily basis was entirely down to me as it was my responsibility to manage my time effectively.

My project was entirely my own, I was the only person working on it and the work I carried out was to provide a good foundation for the team when they decide to implement the project. I set my own goals, alongside those set by my line manager, so that I had my own deadlines by when I wanted various aspects of the project completed.

The technical skills have given me a much better understanding of engineering as it is used in industry, which is something I will take forward and be mindful of in my academic studies. My personal development was also a big focus during the placement, for example I have a lot more confidence now compared to when I first started the placement.

The office atmosphere was always very relaxed, I would arrive in the morning and chat to the people around me. I did not feel like I had to be constantly working at my desk, and that I was free to walk around and visit other departments for a catch-up if I felt like it.

Within my department, my placement was extremely well organised. My manager always had ideas to keep my busy and had a definite structure to how they wanted the project to be carried out. As I was not based in the main office, the organisation with regards to visiting the main office could have been better - doing the journey down at various points in the middle of the week was maybe not the best idea - doing everything required in one larger visit would have been more beneficial to the flow of the placement.

I have taken part on a number of training and development sessions, both technical ones as well as personal sessions such as a 'lunch and learn'. A lot of these sessions were costly and so it was a surprise to me that the company was willing to invest in my development despite me being there for only a short time.

The future of the business is uncertain, however the company has always been honest with us about the directions being taken and ensured to keep us in the loop while we were on placement. With the graduate scheme taking a different direction, it would be good to have an exact idea of what it will entail once the company themselves are aware of this.

Living in a house with the other interns caused us to have a great bond, we quickly formed friendships and that support network was invaluable. We often went out for food and drinks after work / on the weekend and this made any teamwork we had to carry out much easier and smoother.

Being in a cheaper area makes the placement much better, I was glad to be placed in the north as oppose to at the head office. During the day, it was easy for us to find somewhere cheap to have lunch that was a short enough drive away. The area I lived in was local to many shops and the main bars, so that I could easily just walk if I felt like it.

The nightlife was good, the amount of bars and restaurants in particular was a good addition to our time aside from the placement. There were a few clubs too, so altogether there was definitely enough places to keep me busy over the 10 weeks. It was also quite cheap which was beneficial.

Only ones that we had organised ourselves between the interns, we did have leaving drinks at the end of the placement which was good. There weren't many other opportunities outside work hours with other people in the office, I think that over summer there is less going on due to many people being away.