Nuclear Science & Engineering Industrial Placement Review

Aspects of my placement I enjoyed: 1. My management/supervisors trusted me with meaningful responsibilities, allowing me to take a task from start to finish without constant supervision. 2. My colleagues were generally very helpful and eager for me to learn as much as possible. Furthermore, my fellow placements networked well so there was always support on issues that perhaps did not require supervisors advice if another placement student had experience. 3. Working on a power station there is always the opportunity to escape an office environment onto a live plant. And out on plant, colleagues are always enthusiastic to pause whatever they are working on and provide some explanation of what is going on. Aspects of my placement I did not enjoy: 1. I was given a number of responsibilities considered too menial for experienced colleagues. These boring day-to-day tasks offered no personal development. On several occasions, the balance of me supporting my department versus the department supporting my development was demoralising. However it is understandable that certain tasks require a qualified person to authorise. 2. There were a few individuals who did not give any consideration to my unfamiliarity with company procedures, commonly used terms etc. and were either impatient or dismissive of helping me find information (however these individuals were in the minority). 3. There is almost a general culture of negativity, with very little recognition for positive work.

I know my colleagues valued the work I was doing for the department and would repeatedly express how thankful they were. However, there were a number of loose comments and impressions which gave me a genuine feeling that Industrial Placement students are considered generally replaceable. I have taken ownership of a number of processes this year that I know my direct supervisors will miss my knowledge on, but the general culture communicated particularly from top level management is that Industrial Placement students are not important and next year's student will be as equally useful.

I made a deliberate attempt during my placement to be as independent as possible, so the support and guidance I required by management/supervisors was restricted. However when I did require support and guidance my colleagues in general were very helpful, even with the most mundane tasks that I would not be able to perform due to an unfamiliarity with company procedures. There were a few occasions where I was frustrated at not receiving the level of support I would have liked. However due to my attempts to remain independent it was difficult for management ./ supervisors to quickly pick up where I was in a relevant process and provide the guidance I required.

How busy I was is something of a double-edged sword. At the beginning of my placement, I would not say there was any preparation for my arrival other than a basic induction - I did not have a desk, IT access or any training materials to familiarise myself; and was consequently counting down the hours of every day in my first few weeks on site. This is true also of graduates arriving, and I believe there is a general lack of organisation from management in welcoming new people to site. How busy I was then flipped as I became more familiar with company processes and in unique circumstances due to colleagues in my department unexpectedly leaving at short notice - I was too busy to the point where my working hours were considerably in excess of those in my contract. My department colleagues encouraged me to stick to my working hours, but being the type of person I am I wanted to do everything to the best of my ability and not let anyone down. So it's probably my fault I felt overworked, learning to say "no" tactfully is a skill in itself!

I enjoyed how much responsibility I was given by management/supervisors. They recognised my unique circumstances of having already completed both an undergraduate and postgraduate degree, and therefore encourage me to be acting effectively as a full-time employee and not a student seeking experience. I was given complete control of specific projects from start to finish. There was one particular project with serious implications which landed on my plate out of left-field somewhat - although competent, I did not feel I should have been put in such a position of responsibility given my inexperience and lack of knowledge on the subject matter. My repeated calls for help from supporting departments and project leads (corporate) were not given sufficient notice.

There was a real emphasis during my placement of training on-the-job, Although understandable given the lack of time available to colleagues, I consistently re-iterated that myself and other placement student would be more effective if given some initial, structured training to get up to speed with company and site procedures. In terms of the training I did receive, I am appreciative of the expense spared on me attending both internal and external training courses given the short-term duration of my contract and the lack of obvious return for the company. The external training courses in particular provided certification in general skills applicable to various occupations, and was accredited by professional bodies. The skills I have developed have been primarily "soft" skills in communication, work management, stakeholder management etc. that have really improved my confidence both in a work setting, but more rewardingly in a social context. My development as a person outside of work has been the most measurable impact of my placement, and I attribute it all to work experiences.

There was a general culture of negativity in my office, not aided by unexpected staff departures in a very short period of time which placed additional strain on the colleagues that remained. Despite from my inexperienced eyes nothing going apparently wrong, there was a consistent "doom and gloom" about the place which was contagious. However I feel this negativity was driven primarily by pressure from the doom-bringers of top management, and not reflective of office colleagues' mindsets. We did have our moments of fun however! And although one or two colleagues had issues with others for probably good reasons, we were for the most part united as a group and extremely supportive of each other in achieving the best interests of the department.

My work placement was emphasised as on-the job training and it did work once I had a certain degree of familiarity with site and company processes, however there was no organisation to its setup - I just picked up jobs as they came along. It is unfair to expect colleagues on station to provide all training to new placement students who are then refreshed every 12 months i.e. the same process of training just repeats - in a sentiment echoed by my fellow placement students, I do not understand why the Early Careers Team or similar provide some level of structured training (similar to graduates, although we are a less valued company asset). Also, Industrial Placement students can only typically carry out tasks with low accountability levels. So once all "new" tasks had been assigned, I slumped into a cycle of repetition. I really needed something to look forward to, however any new opportunities I would have to identify for myself.

In terms of strict finances, I am appreciative of the expense spared on me attending both internal and external training courses given the short-term duration of my contract and the lack of obvious return for the company. In particular, I attended a three-day course to become an IEMA Certified Internal Auditor of Environmental Management Systems. This was of little benefit to EDF Energy in the duration of my placement, but will be hugely beneficial to my portfolio in future job interviews. As I have said in previous answers, I feel the company could have provided a better structure to invest time in me. I felt consistently apologetic leeching time of colleagues for support and guidance, who were already extremely busy with their own responsibilities - they always made time for me though.

I am currently awaiting an interview for a permanent position with EDF Energy in the department I completed my placement. Although I have expressed negativity about aspects of my placement throughout this survey, I do not consider the placement as representative of a permanent position. Furthermore, I view some of my own negative experiences as opportunities to correct for future placement students. My only concern with future employment with EDF Energy is that I do not want to be too far away from the family home in North Ayrshire. The emphasis of new generation jobs in the UK will be focused in the south of England with the Hinkley Point C and possible Sizewell C build, whereas stations closer to home are due to enter decommissioning in the next 10 years. I want to acquire the skills to transition into the exciting era of decommissioning.

There was a generally a good social scene among my fellow placement students, we had an organised lunch every Tuesday at work and occasional activities outside work. It was difficult in that the majority of placement students, unlike myself, were from the local area and therefore already had established friend groups they would prefer to spend time outside of work with. The social scene among my colleagues was non-existent and pretty disappointing (no Christmas night out for example). There were 1 or 2 particular individuals who made a consistent effort to organise events, but it was always the same 2 or 3 faces who attended. I did not get an opportunity to bond outside of work with colleagues who were clearly nice people, but obviously prioritised family life or other existing relationships to socialising with colleagues (perhaps understandably)

I lived with family friends during my placement year, so my cost of living was excellent as I was on preferential rates as you might expect! As I understand in general and from my fellow placement students however, the cost of living in the north east of England is good by comparison to the rest of the country. In terms of socialising, I did not notice prices being any different from anywhere else I have been in the UK (excluding London). I would say there is quite severe contrasts in the north east of England in that deprived and effluent areas are so closely spaced, but the cost of socialising does not really change significantly.

I have stayed in my family home in North Ayrshire all my life with the exception of this year (including my time studying at university in Glasgow). The nightlife is extremely limited to the two extremes of quiet local pubs, or going out in Glasgow. After the best part of 7 years, I have exhausted Glasgow and was looking forward to a change in social life. The nightlife in the north east of England is so varied in that high streets are much more active than the west coast of Scotland, so small nightclubs, live music nights etc. in what would be considered average sized towns are a common thing. I had nights out in Durham, Guisborough, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Saltburn and Stockton - and they all offer something a little different.

The Visitor Centre at my work repeatedly encouraged placement students to get involved in STEM volunteering activities. During my placement I volunteered on primary school visits and attended careers fairs at local universities. I also attended community workshops to represent the company. In terms of structured social activities, I was extremely disappointed that the Sports and Social Club at the station was disbanded just a few weeks prior to my arrival. However, I did manage to stumble across a game of 5-a-sides organised at work (although torn knee ligament was not the intended outcome!) and there were various golf days advertised (although I was not fit to play unfortunately). I believe the station could do more to encourage cross-departmental relationships.