Power Academy Scholar Review
by National Grid
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.8
-
The Company
4.6
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The Culture
4.5
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
National Grid is a leading company in the Energy sector, and it employs some of the most exprienced people in the field, this makes the placement very exciting as there is a large pool of knowledge to learn from. The company offers a good work life balance. There is a chance to visit sites and have a practical appreciation of all the theory learnt at University. Every day is exciting and challenging which makes the placement very beneficial and ideal for someone at University.
I was working on Network Picasso development which is updating the netWork to indicate future connections. This was a tool to improve efficiency the department. Everyone in the Department was very h elpfull as they valued my contribution and realised this tool willbe used by them. I was made to feel as part of the team and i did enjoy my time in the department. I was also given an oppotunity to present my work infront of the whole department which was great.
The first step was to agree on placement objectives with my line manager. he set out a paln sso that i did not just do my placement work but included an oppotunity to learn and develop some business skills that willbe valuable throughout my career. My manager did not micro manage me he allowed me rood to grow with ooptunities to learn from other collegues in the office. when discussing the Picasso (drawing showing all the 275 and 400kV circuits) my manager made me appreciate that it was more than a drawing but a very technical drawing with valuable information embedded on it.
The placement was very busy and as a future engineer i used a Gantt chart to plan my work and make sure i met my obkectives. The placement involved using new software and this takes time to learn. Once i learnt the software i was able to do my work , there were various talks and tours arranged which kept the placement busy and exciting. The amount of work and time allowed balanced very well as i was nevr too busy or ever felt bored, i looked forward to each morning at work.
After the objectives where set i was given ownership of the project. it was up to me how i worked and deliverd my work. This was good as i worked in the format that suited me and i also managed to get help when i was having problems or needed clarity in some areas. I was also given the responsibility of updating the Voltage Control circuits in the network Picasso which was printed and out to be used by Power System Engineers in the department. My work will be used by study tyeams in the department and this means i was responsible for a valuable project.
After this placement i have strong knowledge of the entire England and Wales transmission network, I also understand the generator connection criteria i.e from application to connecting to the National Grid. This knowledge is very important as it will help me at University in modules such as Power System analysis. The business skills developed will be very useful in my career and will help me to settle into the Energy industry with relative ease. there was an oppotubnity to develop skills such as commucnication, Planning and organising, one team and integrity. These are the skills that are required in any work place and i am happy to have had an opportunity to develop them while at university.
The Company
The staff in the office were very nice and willing to share their knowledge. At times they offered guidance to material that will be covered at University helping to turn theory into practical work
Everything was set up for me before my arrival proving that there is a lot of forward planning within the company. I had a laptop with the relevant software installed and ready
There is was a lot of investment from learning new software to being allowed to go on sites. I had a chance to visit power station and sites which did improve my knowledge of the power industry
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
National Travel
Company Parties/Events
I would strongly recommend National a grid to any aspiring Piwer System Engineers. The placements are very good and one gets to choose the area they want to work in.
The Culture
The atmosphere was great we had BBQs and social events to help bond and make the most of our placement
The area is a bit costly but the advantage of a summer placement is that most student properties are empty which drive down the rental cost
Great night night life and reasonable priced drinks
There were a lot of activities planned for after work like social events in the park and night outs
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
West Midlands
August 2016
