Engineering Intern Review

I enjoyed my placement more when I was busier. There were times when I would actively have to seek out work, which I suspect was due to my supervisor(s) not wanting to pile on the work/pressure. The work was interesting, and being able/encouraged to rotate to a different department enables you to work somewhere you will enjoy.

I felt extremely valued by my colleagues, especially in my second position. I was given more responsibility as time went on and received frequent feedback/gratitude from my supervisor.

I was given a good level of support from my supervisors (daily points of contact): they were always willing to help with any issues, and would also regularly check-up with me to see how things were going. I would have less frequent meetings with senior/functional management to see how things were going, but there doors were always open, and on several occasions I initiated meetings with functional managers and they were always more than happy to talk. They too were extremely supportive and offered an abundance of useful advice. The senior management at LMUK are very approachable.

It would vary. During some periods I would be extremely busy and have to juggle many tasks and prioritise accordingly. There were periods where I was less busy, but on these occasions I would request work from my supervisor and there was always work that could be delegated to me.

In first position I was given what I think was an appropriate amount of responsibility (and autonomy) from day one. My supervisor had completed a placement/internship, so clearly understood my position. In my second position I started out with less responsibility, but it progressed quite rapidly with me taking the lead on several important pieces of work (such as presentations/documentation). I think the responsibility you'll be given is related to how much you're prepared and willing to take on.

The skills will help me massively during my final years. I've become a lot more proficient with CAD, significantly more organised and learned a lot about data management that will be extremely useful during individual and group projects. I also realised how much I was underutilising Microsoft Office, and the tools I learned to use will be extremely useful for report writing/data processing when I return to University.

The staff at LMUK were very friendly/helpful, and there was a very positive atmosphere. I looked forward to coming into work largely because of the people I worked with, and I got along well with everyone with whom I worked. The mood was generally relaxed (e.g. people would frequently bring in cakes for birthdays / any other celebrations).

It was organised well once we had begun, but it would have been useful to have received more correspondence before starting. It would have been useful to have been given information about the various departments and to have had a say in where my first position would be (not to say that I didn't enjoy my first position). Once we had started it ran seamlessly and we were given a lot of support regarding setting up rotating to a new department.

Very much so. I requested to go on a CAD training course to get familiar with the new software and this was supported by my functional manager. I also had training in data management, matlab & simulink. We were also given several presentations on our career development/progression and a series of lunch & learns where we given information about various areas of the business and opportunities within these areas.

I would seriously considering returning to Lockheed Martin as part of their graduate scheme. This was discussed with the graduate rep towards the end of my internship, but there was no pressure from LM to make a decision immediately. I will be weighing up my options and keep a close eye on the main programmes between now and when I being applying for graduate positions, but would be glad to return to LM.

There were only 6 full time interns, although there was only myself and one other in engineering. The graduate scheme is a lot bigger, and as a result, has a larger social scene. I did most of my socialising with housemates (I was in a house-share) and people from external sports clubs.

My rent was £575 per month (including bills), although there were cheaper and more expensive options available. The cost of living is reasonable and what one would expect. There was a large Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl nearby to where I lived, so the prices here are fixed. Lockheed Martin provides £120 towards a gym membership which may be useful for some.

There are quite a few pubs in the town centre, as well as a Cinema, Nandos, Pizza hut etc. Milton Keynes is only about half an hour which has a more vibrant nightlife as well as an Xscape, which has a skiing dome, loads of restaurants, cinema, bowling alley, indoor skydiving etc.

There were several activities outside of work that I got involved in. One of which was a charity cycle ride, which I was unable to actually do due to being on holiday, but still got involved with the training. This was a nice way to get to know colleagues on a more personal level. I also took part in a 5k promoted by LM which raised money for charity, and was again a good way to get to know colleagues in less formal setting.