Summer Student Review

Atkins’ Bristol office is a pleasant, modern working space and the canteen food is good whilst not being too expensive. I have enjoyed cycling to work during my summer placement, and there are excellent shower and locker facilities (much nicer than in my student flat!) The people I have met working in the nuclear office are friendly and helpful, and have a diverse range of interests which they are willing to share with others outside of work. I found the project that I was involved with interesting, and despite a short placement of just eight weeks I have gained some completely new skills and a satisfying sense of achievement from tasks that I have been able to see through to completion.

I was working on two tasks which were part of a much larger programme of work, but despite this I got a sense that what I was doing was important and useful to the overall outcome. The project manager kept everyone up to date with the schedule and budget, so it was easy for me to see where the work I was doing had a direct impact. Compared to university it feels great to be involved with a task that has a real business purpose and the daily engagement with colleagues is a welcome change from long solitary sessions in the university library!

Help was available from many different people if/when I requested it. Sitting next to a colleague I was working with directly was very helpful in getting things sorted out quickly, so I was rarely stuck on a problem for long.

After about one week doing induction tasks and background reading, my work picked up to a steady pace that was sustained throughout my placement. There were only two days out of eight weeks where I was noticeably light on project work (once due to an IT issue, and once when waiting for information requested from another company). On both occasions I managed to find something beneficial to spend my time on, even if it wasn’t ‘productive’ billable work.

I feel that I was given more responsibility (without too much stress) during this placement than for my previous year in industry with Atkins. Due to my familiarity with verification procedures I was allowed to sort out a lot of things by myself, but reassuringly all of the work I produced has been/will be thoroughly checked. I was also able to help out new starters with orientation tasks that I had done myself twice before.

In addition to learning about a different section of a nuclear power plant, I developed new skills in programming (Python and Visual Basic) and Abaqus as well as strengthening my familiarity with Excel. Having learned to automate repetitive tasks, I feel like I will be able achieve more (with less effort and fewer mistakes) in my upcoming mathematical modelling projects at university.

Atkins’ Bristol office is a pleasant, modern working space with large windows and the canteen food is good whilst not being too expensive. I have enjoyed cycling to work during my summer placement, and there are excellent shower and locker facilities (much nicer than in my student flat!) I would describe the general atmosphere/culture of the office as being polite and friendly, whilst still with a sense of humour. The people I have met working in the nuclear office have a diverse range of interests which they are often willing to share with others outside of work.

The new-starter process began approximately three months before the placement, using an online on-boarding system to sign forms and read through induction information. This seems to work ok, but there were a few teething problems (erroneous emails etc.) for me and a couple of other interns. Sorting out a security clearance was a complete headache – it took two months after my placement start date before my clearance was approved (so about four/five months in total). The same thing happened at the beginning of my year in industry. The consequence of this is not having a security pass that will unlock the front door of the office, which is inconvenient because the toilets and canteen are located outside the office. The time-consuming nature of security checks is a common problem which many people have raised, so hopefully this will become less problematic in future. It is worth mentioning that the security clearance is valid for one year, so if you have managed to get it and want to return for a subsequent placement, be sure to choose a start date that allows you to avoid going through the whole process again! On the plus side, the work I was given was ideally suited to my abilities and length of the placement.

Due to the short duration of my placement I did not attend any training courses, however I was allowed time to do a number of online programming tutorials during my first two weeks as preparation for upcoming work, and I also learned a lot by talking to colleagues.

Very! I intend to return for a full-time job with Atkins after I graduate.

Not this year – many of the other summer placement were living far away from the city centre, so it was not particularly easy for us to meet up after work. There was a decent social scene during the first summer of my year in industry though, with almost weekly social outings.

Bristol is pretty expensive rent-wise. It is also not the cheapest city to socialise in, but I feel that it is worth it for the range of interesting places to go. Lots of people describe Bristol as a ‘mini London’.

There is no nightlife anywhere near the Atkins office (which is about seven miles away from the city centre). However most people do not actually live there as there is a convenient free bus for employees, and as I mentioned previously it is feasible to cycle as well. Bristol has a very diverse range of places to go in the evenings, and I would highly recommend it.

The Sports and Social Club is very active, and there are a number of sports teams that you can join, that have regular practice sessions (I am not a part of any though). There are also some annual trips for activities like surfing, mountain biking and go-karting which are great if you are new to them and want to have a go. Occasionally there might be celebratory team meals on completion of a project and there are also summer and Christmas parties for the entire office. However, it is quite likely that you will meet some like-minded people who you will want to meet up with socially.