Power Academy Placement Student Review

I was given the opportunity to plan and run a project investigating noise on overhead lines across the UK's electricity network. Day to day, this started out as interacting with different people around the department to build up a good understanding of the project, and the different types of conductors that were in use across the transmission network. Towards the end of the project my day to day activities then changed to be more focused on spending time in the field, collecting results in person

I've learned lots of new skills from this placement. I developed specific skills relating to my role and the project I carried out, specifically in the area of sound level measurement and analysis, as I was required to carry out such measurements on my own in the field, and relied on having accurate data to analyse and draw my conclusions from. I also developed my wider soft skills, particularly project management and planning, and report writing and analysing data.

I was given a large amount of responsibility. From day one I had to begin planning trips to go out into the field and carry out measurements, which required me to analyse the physical routes that each overhead line route took across fields and roads, identifying areas to safely park and then place the equipment underneath the lines to take sound level measurements. To facilitate these trips I also had to plan my travel and accommodation.

I received an excellent amount of support and guidance. My manager was very experienced in the field of environmental engineering and was able to provide support for the technical aspects of the project, along with good guidance on the direction of my project. I received good support from the HR side of the internship, with a week of induction training at the start of the placement which provided a good overview of how the placement works and the support available to me.

The company culture is good! People are very friendly and approachable. As an internship student it can be intimidating to ask for help or to ask people to explain things to you, especially when you may not be at the same level of knowledge as others, but everyone I spoke to during my placement was very happy to help explain things to me, and took time out of their day to speak to me, explain a specific topic or to provide guidance in an area.

I really enjoyed my summer placement! I found it exciting and interesting to be able to be given an entire project to take ownership of, and then to go out across the country to carry out the measurements and surveys that you spent weeks planning for. It was enjoyable to combine time spent in the office with time spent out in the countryside taking measurements, and some time travelling around the country as I did so.

Yes

Have a look at the job description, and if there's a contact listed - get in touch with them! People are always happy to talk about the opportunities that they have available, and it always helps to have already spoken to the person who might be hiring you. I'd also have a look at LinkedIn and see if you can spot people who have completed placements with National Grid, and ask if they have any advice or help they can give.