Validation Integration Intern Review

I enjoyed it very much. There are lots of opportunities to learn even when work is quiet in your department, and everyone is very friendly from my experience. There is also a very good intern network, with socials every thursday and a large number of interns to socialise with throughout the plant.

As you would expect, it took a little bit of time for the work I was trusted with to become more important, but within my team I felt valued and was given my own area to work on with support from a full time colleague. Allowed me to contribute well to the team.

My manager was very happy to talk about any issues I had and frequently checked in to see how I was doing. I also had biannual reviews to check my personal progress, how I was getting on with uni work and how I felt within the team. I was also paired with a superior colleague in my department for support in my area of work when needed.

I was always for the majority of the day. If there were any gaps there is lots to learn from the assembly line and the various different areas on the plant. From within the office I was working in there is also lots of oppurtunities to spend some time with other departments to gain a wider view of how the company runs

The amount of responsibility grew as I spent more time in my placement. I was slowly involved in projects by being added to meetings and meeting relevant people until a point where I was able to contribute to the projects. As the placement continued my level of responsibility increased until it was almost that of a regular member of my department.

I felt this placement year in general helped me to improve on general organisational and time-keeping skills which are relevant to life and studying for a degree. I also think I've gained lots of valuable information for when I return for my final year, in which I will be taking a manufacturing based module.

The office had a generally friendly atmosphere. Everyone I spoke to was happy to help and on multiple occasions I was able to shadow people from different departments to gain a broader view of the company and how it functions. Also a good number of other interns to socialise with.

Very well. The application process was completed in good time, and there was a welcome event set up for all of the interns. There was lots of support from the intern team on how to get started in the internship and there is a month overlap for most placements so your predecessor can show you the ropes. My manager had planned the projects I was supposed to get involved with and everything was ready for me when I arrived.

In my role there was clear understanding that the placement was not solely for the company to benefit from my work, but also that I was supposed to develop as a person and engineer and get lots out of the placement in return. My manager organised meetings to check my progress with this and ensured I was able to visit other departments to broaden my knowledge and learning.

Yes, the month crossover of incoming and outgoing interns meant that socials could be set up very easily and occured every Thursday at pubs throughout Oxford. As well as this people got to know each other very well and went out together at the weekends a lot of the time.

Oxford is more expensive than most places.