Despite the in-person internship being unable to go ahead, the team at Centrica put in an enormous amount of effort to schedule fun group calls consistently throughout the summer, which really helped us get to know the other interns and current team (albeit virtually)!
The virtual experience was obviously not ideal as a in person experience would be. However, I felt as if the Centrica team made a continued and significant effort to keep us involved with the actions and future direction of the company.
Despite the internship being cancelled due to Covid-19, I think Centrica did the best they could to provide an enjoyable alternative. I enjoyed the information sessions they ran surrounding the company and the broader industry, and the highlight for me was the Excel training session with a current graduate due to the one-on-one nature.
I really enjoyed the virtual internship experience with Centrica, and I benefitted from the experience despite the fact that it could not run in its usual format. I felt as though Centrica kept regular contact with all interns throughout the year and still made the effort to allow us to meet one another virtually, and created a group where they provided regular correspondences. I felt appreciated by Centrica throughout the summer even though I was not doing the internship in person.
Despite Covid making an in person internship impossible Centrica made sure we were all kept in the loop and supported throughout. I felt like they could have completely abandoned us but instead they ran interesting workshops and arranged 1 to 1 zoom calls.
There was regular communication and online meetings. We had the opportunity to hear from lots of interesting people, and learn about their experiences at Centrica. It was very engaging, and I liked the fact that we were able to meet the other participants in the programme (virtually) and get to know a bit about each other. There was a lot of variety in each of the meetings, and in each one we discussed different topics.
I enjoyed being able to talk to current graduates on the programme and get an insight into what I would have been doing if the programme had gone ahead in person and also what a graduate job at Centrica would be like. We had regular meetings where we also learnt about the company and they told us what they saw the future of the company to be. I enjoyed this because it allowed me to get an insight into the company that I would have got of the Summer Internship Programme.
The sessions they ran to replace my internship were definitely good and I did learn more about the company and the job, such as what people do day-to-day etc, but it was nothing near a real internship.
I thoroughly enjoyed the way Centrica managed to adapt the internship given the Covid-19 pandemic and was impressed by their determination to do this. The virtual sessions were interactive and engaging and I learnt a lot about the company and role. The excel training was really enjoyable and I really appreciated having the onto one time with my mentor. The context of the tasks also really enjoyable, which kept me engaged whilst completing it. It was definitely enjoyable and I would recommend it.
Due to the corona virus, the internship was unfortunately cancelled. However I feel Centrica made a great effort to still provide for the successful applicants. Firstly a £400 good will gesture for being successful but not being able to partake. Then the assurance that we would have a place on the internship next summer or (if graduating) a place on the graduate scheme.
It was a new experience to communicate with the team online but despite the distance it was a very enjoyable and interesting experience. We were encouraged to interact with each other (other interns) throughout the process, even though this is obviously somewhat minimised across a virtual rather than in person situation. The calls were organised so as to be useful not only to our development within the company but also for our development at university and in our personal lives.
I enjoyed the experience as it made me feel like centrica cared about the interns especially with the money that they gave. I also liked hearing about the company and what updates they had for us about what the company was doing going forward. I also enjoyed talking to other possible interns in breakout rooms. I would have liked maybe to have been given more of a clear message from the outset about next year and what our position was within the company but I understand that times change quickly at the moment. I would have also liked if we had been given independent work relating to our field to complete which would give insight into our chosen department more.
This internship programme is a lot of fun. It's really well put together and it was rewarding as I was given very real work from the beginning which if not done by my me would have been done by a full time analyst. There's a real community feel among the interns (40 of us split between Staines and Windsor) and living together makes it very sociable
I really enjoyed my summer placement with British Gas. I was given many opportunities to help and even lead in business projects that the company was undertaking. I had the chance to work with different teams and was able to get an insight into how different areas of the business work cohesively together.
I loved working at CSL in Hull. It provided me with good operational engineering experience in the electrical field. The team were lovely and welcoming and made me feel happy to work in the company. I have taken away a lot of key learnings which will aid me in the future and at university.
The summer internship at Centrica provided me with a great view of engineering in industry and I learnt a lot while working there. My placement was spent doing a project but also getting experience in many areas within the business and being involved with a number of different things, providing me with a well-rounded placement.
I very much enjoyed the placement. I found the work engaging, the atmosphere friendly and helpful and I felt like I have learnt a lot from it too. I was often busy but at no point did I feel overwhelmed and there was a good support structure to aid with this.
Excellent internship. Given meaningful work from the beginning and encouraged to stretch yourself. Large cohort of other interns, and shared accommodation, which created a good social atmosphere and network. Was able to see lots of different sites across the country (6 in just 10 weeks). Good events and development sessions that were actually useful and enjoyable.