Power Academy Intern Review

The internship was really enjoyable. I learned an awful lot during my time and National Grid about my field of interest. The support provided throughout the programme in terms of careers advice and training and development was excellent. The work was varied and interesting over the course of the 12 weeks. The people at National Grid were friendly and approachable. I learned something new every day and now have a great understanding of the business. Overall it was a very good experience.

Obviously, as an intern your level of knowledge and ability is limited but I was not made to feel this way by my team. When I arrived I was greeted by my business coordinator who introduced me to the whole team - after that I felt like my being there was genuinely valued by the team. During group meetings I was asked for my thoughts and ideas which pleasantly surprised me. Throughout my internship I was thanked for my contribution to different projects and congratulated when I completed something to a particularly high standard. The experience was great for my self-confidence.

I had weekly 1:1 meetings with my line manager and on a couple of projects I reported directly to him. Our conversations were very helpful as they were an opportunity for us both to gauge how we were finding the process (as it is important to remember these internships and work placements are two-way processes). My line manager was keen for me to develop my skills and to get the right work experience out of my 12 weeks. He arranged relevant activities for me to get involved with and made sure that I was clear with my objectives throughout. I also had the support of a business coordinator who provided me with guidance on work-related and more general issues during the process. The only lapse in supervision occurred when both my line manager and business coordinator went on annual leave but this too gave me the opportunity to be self-guided so I cannot claim it to be entirely negative and experience.

Overall I was kept busy throughout the internship. Some tasks I could complete within a couple of hours and some would take a few days - there were a variety of activities. On occasions, I would be reporting to a number of managers whilst working on different projects. This gave me the opportunity to test and demonstrate my prioritisation and organisation skills. However, there were times where I felt I had little to do and these moments were difficult to deal with when you want to be kept busy. In those times I focussed on my personal development and just made sure that my team knew I was available should they require help with anything. This served as a reminder that like in all work situations, work comes in peaks and troughs.

I was given more responsibility than I had anticipated. I essentially led an important piece of work which - by the time I was leaving - had been all the way up to the top of the business. I was involved in specific tasks that needed to be completed by set deadlines and this was motivating and rewarding. It is worth pointing out, however, that in this technical discipline it is only possible to delegate so much to a summer intern, and this is something I expected going in.

The summer internship was directly related to my studies and so it was a really useful 12 weeks. I now have a far better grasp on the purpose of aspects of my studies and how they apply in the real world. I also learned a lot about careers in my sector as many of the team members had been through a similar process to me over the course of their careers. One thing that I really learned in this internship was the importance of continuous training and development - that is something I have taken away and will be working on going forward.

The office has a great atmosphere, it is very modern and open and it is clear that National Grid has put a lot of thought into the environment in which their employees work. There is a particular emphasis on health and safety but in a much more positive way than I have seen before. Friendly safety reminders are all over the place and a healthy lifestyle is encouraged by a free gym and regularly refilled fruit carts. In terms of the culture, I cannot fault National Grid - it is absolutely one of their best selling points. The office is busy yet relaxed, friendly yet professional.

It was well organised. Before the internship began we were invited to a welcome day at our office where we met some colleagues, had a tour and heard some interesting presentations. When I arrived a list of draft objectives and work activities had already been drawn up for me and I was given the opportunity to alter them if necessary to get the most out of my placement. I had an assigned line manager, business coordinator, buddy and HR contact so I felt like I had a lot of support. What I will say is that the first half of the internship was very busy and I learned so much but the second half was a lot quieter in terms of work. Perhaps in this regard, it could have been better organised.

My colleagues wanted to make sure I got the most out of my experience and training and development was a huge part of the process. I initially expressed an interest in improving my IT skills and it was immediately incorporated into my development plan and I was advised about resources I could use to help me improve. In the middle of the process, an interim review was held in which I discussed my personal development with my line manager, business coordinator and student programme manager. They advised me on what I had been doing well and how I could make improvements. This was in the form of helpful, constructive feedback.

Very appealing. National Grid is a unique player in an exciting market and future involvement with them would be very interesting. I know that as a company, they treat their employees especially well as many of them stay on for a long time. On the graduate programme, the training is known to be excellent and I know my team would push me to achieve not only impressive work objectives but also industry recognised qualifications. If my internship experience is anything to go by I would definitely enjoy working for National Grid again.

There was a good social scene with both students and colleagues. Some of the activities I got involved with involving students included: football with graduates, bowling with IPs and the other interns, disc golf and pub meals. I met most frequently with the other summer interns and we developed a good connection which was a great part of the experience. In terms of colleagues, we went for a meal at the end of my internship; despite this being the only social activity it was such good fun and I did not mind at all that this had been the only social activity because my team were all very busy people.

My office was National Grid House in Warwick and as such, I lived in Leamington Spa. I have to say, Leamington Spa is an expensive place to live and it is not easy to find somewhere to live either. Once you are there though you can understand why - it's a beautiful area with an awful lot going for it. It's just a shame that it doesn't have the level of accommodation as a larger city. In terms of socialising, Leamington had a lot going on; there were plenty of pubs, bars and restaurants as well as some recognised high street names. Not far outside Leamington there were also a variety of sports activities and facilities that were great for socialising.

I am possibly the worst person to ask on this front as I would not say I went on a proper night out. I went to a pub with a couple of the interns one time and we ended up going on a bit of a pub crawl which in itself was a great night out. I have heard from the other IPs and interns that Leamington perhaps does not have the best night life as such (i.e. night clubs) but in my view, that is to be expected when you are in a town rather than a large city. It is something to bear in mind before applying if nightlife is really important to you I suppose.

National Grid actively encourages their employees to get involved in activities outside of work. I attended various football matches and socials to network and just have some fun. I was also encouraged to learn more about the business as a whole and so I ended up going on site visits and having tours around other offices to learn about what other parts of the business do and how they fit into the larger strategic picture. I know that some of the IPs and graduates got to do all sorts of activities through their involvement with the company including sailing and skiing.