Manufacturing Intern Review

The role I was in provided me with a varied and exciting experience, working in the BAE Hawk assembly hangar.

The relationship with my colleagues was very warm and we got on very well. The feel about the place is good and everybody seems to enjoy what they're doing.

I received regular feedback from my manager and other colleagues on how to enhance my experience in the short time I was there.

The majority of the time I was very busy and always had something to do. I rarely felt pressurised but when I did I talked to my manager and ensured any issues were addressed.

I quickly gained the trust from my manager and he frequently put faith in my to complete tasks, host meetings and implement action plans on the shop floor. This proved to be very rewarding and helped me to boost my self management skills.

Without a doubt an invaluable learning experience.

The office was located in the balcony alongside the hangar. There was an aire of professionalism around the place but it was also a relaxing environment where I was able to talk with my colleagues and have a bit of banter.

From my point of view the placement was very well organised. I was integrated into my team and doing real work almost immediately. I was not asked to do anything unreasonable and when I asked if I could do something the answer was almost always yes.

I was fortunate to visit the Brough site on several occasions which required an over night stay. My manager invested a lot of his own time in helping me make the most out of my placement as well. This goes to show that BAE do invest in the future and take your personal development very seriously. Considering I was essentially a temporary member of staff I was invested in grately.

After working at BAE for 12 weeks I'm very much hoping to gain employment with them through the Graduate Development Framework. I have my assessment centre this month and I am excited by the prospect of an opportune career.

There were many interns whom met in the canteen on a daily basis. Our graduate buddies, current graduates assigned to help, us arranged some nights out in Preston which was a good way to relax and share our experiences with others outside of the work environment.

I live local to the area and own an apartment. The cost of property in the North is reasonable.

Preston has a good night scene with lots of pubs, bars and clubs. There are also plenty of nice little pubs if you're prepared to venture out of town a little. Really good real ale!

The opportunities were definitely there, if the interns had wanted to organise something such as paintball etc. However nothing was actually organised in that respect.