CFM CTP Intern Review

The work was challenging and varied, and allowed me to get involved in many different areas of the business, working locally and globally. The level of respect and autonomy was refreshing, and it really felt like the work I was putting in was appreciated and had an impact to the company.

Work completed is checked over by peers and mentors and constructive feedback is given. There are a lot of team projects going on on-site to get involved with and any input or help is genuinely appreciated. There is a large peer network with many interns on site that adds camaraderie.

There is a standard of one mentor per intern that are located in the same team/area which creates a great team feel and offers a lot of support. With having several mentors in each team there is always someone to go to for advice, or if you have questions about work.

There is always something to do and get involved with, and the placement offers a great deal of autonomy, allowing you to get involved with as much as you want and to set your own schedule. Some projects will take up a lot of time and others can be finished within a week.

Interns are given a huge amount of autonomy, and are able to take on as much responsibility as they choose. If you want more, and have proved you're knowledgeable and capable there is always opportunity to get involved in new areas. By the end of the internship you are working at junior/graduate engineer level.

There is a lot of support and training that goes into the internship, with regular sessions scheduled to expose interns to different areas of the business that they may not have worked in. There is also mandatory on job training that allows you to get hands on with hardware and better understand shop floor processes.

There is a dedicated committee set up to organising the internship and the intern experience. They are there as a first level of support when there are any issues. There is also an intern further skills group set up that offers further specific training, external site visits and company events with senior staff.

GE has invested a huge amount of time into my own personal development in terms of training. As GE Aviation doesn't externally hire graduates and only takes from previous interns they focus a lot on training up interns to be at a junior engineer level for if & when they come back.

There is a huge network of interns on site, with 45 interns being hired per year across engineering, support and operations roles. This leads to a great support network and social events being organised within the intern community. Housing is also organised within the incoming interns so you end up living in the same area and with people you will know.

Cardiff is a cheap area to live in, and the site is located just outside of cardiff. A car is recommended to get out there, but with the amount of interns on site there is always a lift available. The city centre and student areas are all reasonable and rent is cheap.

GE has a lot of involvement with many external companies, charities and schemes to allow you to get as involved as you'd like. Some of these tie into STEM ambassador roles, with mentoring opportunities, engineering schemes working with schools, engineering/aerospace challenges and more. It is also in prime location in Cardiff.