EID Manufacturing Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement so much so that I extended my contract for an additional 3 months before returning to university. It was full of personal development on a professional and technical level, networking opportunities across departments and businesses, as well as opportunities to perform, impress and make a difference.

All colleagues were friendly, supportive and helped me to develop my technical, professional and interpersonal skills. If I asked a question and they did not know the answer personally, they would point me in the right direction or tell me in the system where I may be able to find the answers to what I was looking for.

My manager was fully supportive, accommodation of all needs and extremely helpful for the entire duration. His principle was to allow me to struggle for my development but never to fail. This gave me confidence within myself, developed my thinking and problem solving skills and gave me some exposure to the mind frame of a Senior Operations Manager.

A good balance between projects, departmental work, and personal development time. Towards the start of my internship I was mainly reading an researching about our product and manufacturing processes, which proved to be of great benefit when I started to receive projects and improvement ideas from the operators. Alongside this I had daily responsibilities such as maintaining info centers and conducting zone audits.

Responsibilities include proposing, managing and reviewing projects. Tracking deliveries for clients and managing a suggestion system that I developed and implemented. I also was designated lead of the info centers, which involved maintaining, tracking and reporting data to various key stakeholders within the business. I managed this into a digital records base to increase our Oil & Gas Operating Standards score.

Technical skills were developed less than expected but business and operational management skills were gained and developed. Use of key software such as SolidWorks will be transferred back to University, as well as being introduced to new software and equipment that is used widely throughout the Oil and Gas industry that could be transferred to the aerospace sector.

Everyone has a positive and motivational attitude. There is a good balance between work and personal discussions and never an unfriendly or stern atmosphere. If mistakes are made, these are accepted with the mindset that we are only human as opposed to the usual stigma I have experienced of being afraid to make mistakes due to the reactions of others.

Alongside my role, there were a number of workshops set up for the duration of the placement to help develop professional and personal skills. Regular reviews with my manager took place to ensure I was settling in, not struggling with my work and to address and concerns or issues I had during the early stages of the placement. For the first few weeks the work level was low although this soon picked up after around a month.

GE provided training in terms of business systems, excel/word courses and a basic level of lean training. They invested great deals of time into my personal development and understanding of business structures. They allowed me to take part in STEM events and recruitment events to give me a broader look into business operations.

After working for the company for a year, I would jump at the opportunity to return. I am currently in the application process for a graduate programme to commence once I finish university, have numerous connections with the recruitment teams on both a corporate and local scale, and will be attending an assessment center later this year.

The social scene between the group of interns was good to start, although a group project changed the dynamic and relations within the group. This led to individual members secluding themselves from the rest of the group. As for colleagues, the social scene was thriving, social events would take place 1-2 times a month between all departments including nights out, activities such as paintball and also a river cruise to name a few.

The placement was local to myself so I stayed with my parents for the year. I know Newcastle is cheaper than some areas as other placement students who had moved from London frequently commented on how cheap it was to live here and even cheaper to do things compared to where they were from.

Newcastle nightlife is known throughout the country. There is a wide range of clubs/pubs that cater to all needs and tastes. Various events and shows take place and the general atmosphere is great, where everyone is just out to have a good time. There are also a large number of restaurants and leisure activities that are open late.

The Sports & Social club provided opportunities to get involved at least once a month. This involved things like a trip to the York Races, discounted tickets to various attractions throughout the North East, and the inters/graduates arranged activities between themselves such as paintballing and meals. Alongside this there was the monthly night out/leaving doo that took place.