Manufacturing Engineer Intern Review

Having a keen interest in the manufacturing industry, I found this internship to be insightful and enjoyable. I enjoyed seeing how manufacturing technologies are implemented in practice.

I was welcomed by the team and they were supportive in my development. However, due to the considerable amount of red tape and the fact that I was only on a 12-week placement, it is not really enough time to be fully involved with the job to an extent that you are producing a large amount of useful work.

Some managers/supervisors are busier than others, just the nature of work in a large company. Those who were available provided an appropriate level of guidance however a degree of independence is definitely required when trying to always keep yourself busy.

I spent the majority of my placement moving around different departments, shadowing and asking a lot of questions which was really enjoyable and helped me to learn a lot about the company and about manufacturing in general. There were some quite times, particularly at the beginning of the placement and towards the end.

I wasn't given a great deal of responsibility as I was only there for 12 weeks. Although I was given my own project to work on independently, this did not require a great deal of responsibility.

I learned a lot about engineering processes and concepts that are highly relevant to my degree and where I intend to work in the future. I also learned of what it is like working for a large company, all of which I feel will be beneficial for my professional development.

It was a pleasant atmosphere, the people I worked alongside were nice and helpful and interested to hear about my experiences.

The initial week of the placement felt a bit unorganised as there was no apparent plan in place in terms of the work that I would do. However, this all changed after the first week when I was given a detailed schedule of which departments I would be working in which days which helped a lot.

I feel that the company were very supportive in terms of my personal development, most of my internship was about learning and developing my knowledge and skills of engineering processes.

An organised structure for progression is put in place whereby performing well enough during the internship can result in a job offer at the end of it, which provides real incentive.

Most of us were living together in student accommodation in Preston which meant that there was always opportunities to socialise if you wanted to.

Reasonable cost for the student accommodation, we paid around £110/week for rent and bills inclusive. The accommodation was also well situated for supermarkets and restaurants etc. nearby.

Not the worst nightlife I have seen, equally not the best. If you fancy something a bit better, Manchester or Liverpool are not far and have good train service from Preston Station.

There are some things to do nearby in Preston but not a great deal. Just standard activities. If you are used to living in a big city then Preston might disappoint in terms of potential activities.