Operations Intern Review

At first the placement was slow due to having a lot of rules and regulations which I was required to learn/carry out training for. Once all this was completed and I was able to find my feet by getting stuck into some placements the opportunities offered, and things I have learnt has been incredible.

Everyone was extremely friendly and willing to help with projects or discuss their career paths giving advice on how I could most benefit from the company for my future career.

I had to be very proactive if I needed support. Supervisors/management expected me to ask or bring it to their attention if I was struggling otherwise they would assume everything was going okay. Once I had asked for support management were more than happy to have a meeting to help me with my placement.

At the start of the placement it was very slow. Once I had my projects to work on though this picked up, some days I would be extremely busy and others I would have only one or two things to do.

I was given numerous projects to complete by a certain deadline, all of which I had to manage on my own.

The amount of training GE offer is endless. If you show motivation to progress and learn, and there is a course you want to go on, then you are encouraged to ask your manager who will put you in touch with the right person in HR to ensure this happens. I was able to achieve my Lean Six Sigma training during my placement, which would have cost me £100 to do externally.

Everyone enjoyed having a laugh, got on and ensured the job could be carried out as stress free as possible.

The placement did lack a lot of structure. I had to be proactive with finding the projects I wanted to work on, the training I wanted to carry out and finding out about the career opportunities available to me going forward.

GE really support their employees developments. Aslong as it was feasable and beneficial GE were willing to let me go on any training courses I was interested in with my managers approval.

There are two sides to the coin. GE operate in so many different markets in so many different companies that there are endless job opportunities available, making it easier to find a job suitable to you. With regards to graduate opportunities these were heavily focused on engineering, even the leadership schemes wanted engineering degrees. This meant there were not many grad opportunities available for those not doing engineering degrees.

An internal email was set up between all the interns/apprentices/grads so they could all be contacted easily. There are loads of clubs/social events/nights out threw out the company.

Cheltenham tends to be rather expensive.

There are loads of bars/clubs in the town which keep it lively at night. There are two university campuses close by meaning that their are many students the same age out and about!

Cheltenham offers many activities, and is also located close to other towns - all linked with a good bus network that runs every 20-60 minutes.