Chemistry Industrial Placement Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at EDF Energy working within the Chemistry department at Sizewell B. I enjoyed learning more about how a nuclear power plant functions and all the work that goes into maintaining it. In particular I enjoyed learning how important maintaining the chemistry of the plant was and how myself and the Chemistry team played a vital role in nuclear safety.

I felt very valued by my colleagues throughout my 12 months on placement. I felt like they truly valued my opinions and thoughts on chemistry matters, I also felt like they valued the work I was doing which made me feel very appreciated. It was a tightly knit department where everyone was valued equally and highly respected regardless of their skill or background.

I was continuously given support and guidance from both my work colleagues, my team leader and the more senior management figures. If I was ever unsure on anything there was always someone on hand to help and guide me through the process. The support I received from everyone when I first started was amazing and it instantly removed any nervousness I had.

I was always relatively busy on a daily basis. There were always daily sampling and analysis routines which needed to be carried out which kept me busy. In addition to the daily routines there were weekly, monthly and quarterly routines which occasionally needed completing. Throughout my placement I was also kept busy by numerous projects I was given to work on.

I was given a reasonable amount of responsibility throughout my placement. When I first started my placement my responsibilities were understandably limited, but once I got more comfortable and more experienced and skilled with the work, my colleagues and managers trusted my ability more and therefore gave me increasing amounts of responsibilities.

In particular the analytical skills and techniques I have gained and developed from my time at Sizewell will benefit me massively in my final year of studying. They will also stand me in good stead should I want to pursue a career in the nuclear industry and I won't require the extensive training again. Furthermore, the training I received on my placement will help me in my future career prospects as I have built up key competency skills.

It was a very good working atmosphere. Everyone remained professional but also had a good laugh with everyone to keep people stress free and relaxed. There were often little things held within the department such as a "bake off" challenge and football matches which everyone got involved in to keep the atmosphere positive and friendly.

The placement was very well organised. Once I had been accepted I was able to get in contact with my manager via email who I would be working under who was able to give me all the information I needed for my first day. I was kept up to date from a careers adviser about all my security clearance and any documents I needed to fill in.

The company was very good with developing my skills and knowledge. They sent me on training sessions off site which helped me to improve on my knowledge of a nuclear power plant. That specific course helped me to realize why all the work I was doing in the chemistry department was so important

The organisation runs a sponsorship scheme for placement students for their final year which you can apply for. They also offer you the chance to apply to go onto their graduate scheme which is another stepping stone to securing a full time permanent job within the organisation. Both those prospects are very appealing to me and I will definitely be applying for them.

There was a very good social scene amongst my fellow colleagues, We would organize social nights out as a department where we would go out to a local restaurant for a meal. We also all attended a work Christmas party. Although there was only one fellow placement student at my site we still had a good social relationship.

The town itself I lived in was very rural and did not have too much happening or great social facilities. Therefore it meant that you had to travel to visit supermarkets etc which slightly increased the cost of living. The social aspect of the town was moderate as there were a few pubs dotted around and most of the people in there you would recognize from site.

There was very little if any nightlife in the area I worked and lived in. There were a handful of pubs you could go in but no actual clubs, also the pubs closed quite early during the week. If you wanted to go out on a proper night out you would have to travel a fair distance to get to a bigger town or city which could be logistically difficult

There were limited opportunities to get involved in due to the remote location of the town. It had a small leisure center which had a few activities you could take part in but it often got over crowded which took away the enjoyment. There were plenty of outdoor places you could go for walk to but not many activities.