Undergraduate Engineer SMD Review

The work load and difficulty varied over the length of the placement. There can be high intensity learning or pressure periods but these are balanced with periods of low demand or paper work. All elements of the role encouraged development as an Engineer and often bought together key principals learnt over different modules in University. The work load and difficulty varied over the length of the placement. There can be high intensity learning or pressure periods but these are balanced with periods of low demand or paper work. All elements of the role encouraged development as an Engineer and often bought together key principals learnt over different modules in University.

My colleagues in the office were very friendly and always had time for a chat over a coffee. The department team members are more than happy answer questions about the job, company, industry, etc. The company works hard to make Undergrad employees feel welcome and supported.

There is a large amount of support offered by the company. I was assigned a 'buddy', mentor, supervisor and line manager so there was always some one to act as a guide when needed. My supervisor would arrange regular coffee meetings for the grads/undergrads to keep up to date with what we were involved in. As well as this the company have a one2one systems which is a 6 monthly review with objectives setting for employee development.

Sometimes there would be very busy periods within the department but these would never last for too long. When these busy periods die down it is the perfect time to get on with University work. In general there was always something to do. The formal development plan has lots of activities the young people can get involved in and there is an e-learning suite for any skills that you may want to develop

Work that I was assigned held responsibility as test notes, documentation, code changes, etc all get used and implemented but all the work is peer reviewed and also reviewed by management so someone senior takes a higher responsibility.

Technical skills and training have been extremely useful in solidifying University education and creating strong links between disciplines. The 'soft' skills learnt from the working environment will be vital in my career and have started me on my way to becoming a professional.

The working environment was generally quite relaxed. Colleagues will stop for a natter but it is still professional. Fridays are a dress down day and employees can leave from midday and there is an all day breakfast served at the canteen meaning that the morning is very relaxed and Friday afternoon can be a good time to catch up on extra work.

Extremely well organised, the member of the HR team that organises the placements has been fantastic and sorting everything out. The only downside is that the training courses can't be booked in until you have started and are on the employee data base and often the courses only happen every 6 months. Meaning sometimes the training can come after the related work.

The company have a formal development program which involves lots of fun but educational activites for the grads/undergrads. These include other site visits, interaction week, Vex Robotic, the Glider Challenge, FDP seminars and technical training courses. It is encourage that you should keep a log book for chartership and get involved with schools in the local area to develop leadership skills.

Contracts come out in October but most undergraduates are offered a graduate position. There is also the possibility of moving to other areas of the company if the department has no vaccancies.

Lots of the young people go out regularly and organise events mid-week such as poker nights, ultimate frisbee, pub lunch, etc. It is encouraged to get to know people during a prep day in the summer so that shared houses can be organised.

In general it is expensive in the south. Staying in Stevenage means no travel costs but heading into London can be expensive. The salary is industry average but rent/travel/nights out are more expensive than University.

Stevenage has some clubs which are OK but London is only a train ride away!

The sports and social club means lots of activities to get involved with.