Electrical Building Services Vacation Student Review

The the role overall mainly consists of assisting senior engineers with their projects. Your day-to-day tasks can differ depending on the specific projects you're involved in. Generally, you have a weekly meeting to discuss the distribution of tasks for that week, followed by time dedicated to completing those tasks. This may involve reviewing documents, performing calculations related to various electrical services, preparing reports, creating schematics and modelling systems on industry grade software.

I learnt several new skills which are outside of the usual university engineering course scope, particularly learning to use industry grade software for building services. These include lighting simulation in DIALux to ensure it meets the minimum lux and uniformity criteria, creating cable models in Amtech and using the output to calculate containment sizes, producing layouts and markups on Bluebeam, conducting feasibility studies for photovoltaics, etc.

A significant amount of responsibility; documents and markups that I had produced were being used in the actual projects as well as the simulations/models and resulting calculations used to produce other things.

My relationship with the other engineers and wider team was extremely positive; they were always willing to explain complex concepts and support me with tasks should I need it. Questions were always welcome and everyone was very willing to help.

Arup's company culture is very inclusive and supportive, promoting continuous learning and professional development. Team socials were an effective way to network and build relationships with new colleagues.

Overall, I have genuinely enjoyed my placement at Arup and have gained a significant amount of knowledge and experience which I would not have learned otherwise. My familiarity with electrical systems has improved dramatically and I am now able to do lighting, cable and containment calculations using industry-grade software. Understanding the real-world applications of the theoretical engineering concepts has motivated me to continue exploring and studying this complex but rewarding field.

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Understand the company values like Arup's commitment to innovation, sustainability, and social responsibility. Align your application and interview responses with these values. Highlight any relevant experience that you have if any. Demonstrate your ability to work collaboratively in diverse teams, as Arup highly values teamwork and inclusivity. Research Arup’s key projects and contributions to the industry.