Electronic Engineeri Review

I very much enjoyed working in Industry and getting to actually apply what I’ve learnt at University to real world problems.

I obtained a lot more respect & responsibility from my colleagues than I ever anticipated. People relied on me.

Management within R&D at Eaton is outstanding. I was given the opportunity to develop my skill sets via internal/external training courses. My supervisors often asked me what work I’d like to get involved in to better my experience. I always felt as though I could approach my line managers if I had any concerns.

I had some days where I didn’t have much to do, and this is when I would have to ask managers for extra work, they would always find something. Some days I was swamped with work, especially seeing as I had a lot of responsibility and became the first person of contact within many projects. This was challenging but it has done me a world of good and has very much developed my ability to organise and plan my time.

I had an incredible amount of responsibility, especially towards the end of my placement where I had obtained a great deal of project knowledge. This was absolutely not a bad thing for me, maybe for the company seeing as when I leave I will take that knowledge with me. I never felt totally stranded – If I was stuck on something for a long time I could ask for support from senior engineers.

Too much to write in here, but essentially my confidence, ability to communicate, organisation and subject knowledge have all developed MASSIVELY!! This has hands down been the best year in terms of my personal development. I have confidence that I can go back and achieve very highly in final year.

The atmosphere in the office was great – R&D has a very diverse range of characters and therefore there was always something amusing going on. Everyone at the Cwmbran site act as a large family.

Organisation of the placement was good. Upon starting work we had quarterly reviews set up, as well as many training courses set up across the UK. The Milestone Presentation gave us a chance to show others what we had accomplished during the year and end on a high note.

The company trained us all very well. From day one we were trained in many different workshops and this continues throughout the year. Eaton didn’t mind paying out for travel and accommodation to make this happen. It’s clear that the inter programme is very important to Eaton. My only criticism would be that there was some department specific training that not everyone had access to. In my role I would have found Excel training useful but R&D were not invited to this.

Going back to Eaton is something I would definitely consider. Their graduate scheme allows for two years working at different sites. In terms of being offered places this has not happened yet. My line manager has asked if I’d be interested in returning, but nothing formal at this time. One thing I have noticed is that a lot of the old interns/people who were on graduate schemes have progressed well within the company, obtaining management roles etc.

Absolutely brilliant social scene, at the start of the year I was prompted by the company to live with some of the other interns which has been a laugh – Although seeing the same people all day every day can get annoying. We often planned social events, such as meals/nights out between us and with other work colleagues. Eaton also encourage sports and charity work.

Very cheap if I’m honest. Accommodation in Newport (Wales) was that of somewhere up North (Hull, Doncaster Leeds etc.) Food and drink was also very reasonable. Public transport to and from work was very reasonable, although I’d recommend a car simply because of the bus times.

Nightlife in Newport is not so great – There is one decent club and an assortment of pubs which are nice in fairness. What’s nice about Newport is that its only 20 minutes away from Cardiff. Cardiff is a VERY good night out. It’s a little more expensive and you have to pay for travel Train/Taxi but well worth it believe me.

Eaton encourage team sports such as football which is done twice a week. Eaton also does a lot of charity work – Bike rides, Welsh 3 Peaks and volunteering. In terms of the town of Newport, there are many gyms, swimming pools and cinema’s. The difficulty with these is finding the time to do them. A 9-5 job can zap your energy.