Engineering Rolling Stock Intern Review

Supporting with the creation of Asset Plans, a document containing all the relevant up to date details for each Siemens fleet in the UK. Working on various PowerBI dashboards to help others in the business be more informed about relevant data. Assisting with new innovation topics in the initial stages of the process, gathering information from around the business and working out which fleet would be best for trials. Talking to various members from across the business unit to do so.

My communication and presentation skills improved massively throughout my placement and I was supported throughout my time there regarding these. I also developed data analytical skills, including learning how to use Microsoft PowerBI to create dashboards. In one grad/intern project I was able to refine my 3D CAD skills, creating a detailed model in Fusion360. I also developed skills within the Microsoft Office suite of applications, using Excel and PowerPoint to quickly come up with estimations and present findings.

I was given the opportunity to work on most projects that I came across within the business, as long as I took the initiative to find them initially. This gave me a lot of freedom when it came to the variety, but I would often end up with the "intern" related administrative tasks and felt that I could have been pushed more when it came to technical roles / responsibility but a lot of this was put onto me. A good example of when I was given a lot of responsibility was when I had the opportunity to be on the interview panel for a new candidate for a job within the team I was placed within.

I received a lot of support and guidance throughout my internship, especially considering the team was based across the country and we mostly interacted online. I would have weekly catch ups with my line manager and was assigned two buddies and a mentor throughout my time working at Siemens. In person workshops were also arranged periodically for the business units grads/interns to meet together and work on a specific skill set by the line management.

The culture varied depending on which part of the business I was in, my team’s working culture was very positive and I enjoyed working with my closer colleagues. There was a bit of pressure from other teams as my team was new and had to pitch their usefulness to the rest of the business. As Siemens are a massive company it was nice to collaborate with others from completely separate industries such as the energy sector, but there were definitely places where siloed working existed.

I enjoyed the majority of my placement year, although there was no real engineering design work or technical responsibilities for me as an intern which I struggled with at the start of my placement coming from an engineering degree. I was able to attend many external events/workshops/conventions which I really enjoyed. The highlight of my internship was to work on the trains themselves in a depot over a few weeks. I did not enjoy the general administrative responsibilities I had to do as part of my day-to-day role.

Yes

Read up on the history of Siemens and what the business unit you are applying to does, don't be afraid to be yourself in assessment centres / interviews. Ensure that the role advertised is something you would enjoy for the whole year as a placement student. Demonstrate that you can think on a higher level and where your work would fit into the business, be prepared as possible when it comes to the interview and show your passion for the role.