Operational Delivery Summer Intern Review

The placement was very diverse with different opportunities and experiences to do. I was able to go on some substation visits, oil management equipment demonstration, control centres talks and general office department talks. The inter student connection was also very good with an encouragement to network between us.

They treated me as an equal which was nice – but only being a member of the team for 12 weeks, there wasn’t that much time they could spend on developing me as they were very busy with their jobs. However when I needed help, someone was available to help me out. Being such a short term member of the team meant that I felt I couldn’t really get involved with processes as it’d be inefficient to be trained, and then to hand the process back over to the them on leaving – This however will be standard on the 12 week summer placements.

The HR recruitment side was very good, engaging, efficient and in constant contact to keep me up to date. However I felt that there was a poor transfer over to the departments on what HR wanted and expected us to be doing and what we were actually doing. Don’t get me wrong we still did work and the departments knew we were coming in and had work ready to give to us.

At the beginning not so much because you have to wait for computer access and to go on the relevant training courses. Once these where out of the way and my project had been given to me then I was as busy as I’d want to be. However like with all placements, you’ll have action packed fast days, and some slower boring ones. Just be prepared for these slower days and use them to increase your knowledge in given areas. There is a great eLearning package that teaches you a lot about the company and the department you’re in. But also Google and YouTube are very useful for giving more understanding about things like “Pipeline PIG” (which isn’t a pig in a pipeline as you might first think, but a device that is used to inspect underground pipes for damage)

Responsibility: {1. the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone.} A project is arranged to be given to you on your arrival, once you’ve been given it you are pretty much in sole control over it. However you won’t be in control over anyone else, only yourself. {2. the state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something.} As it is your project, you are accountable for doing it within the time frame established. Asking for help and guidance when needed is a key part as no one is going to spoon feed you. But if things go wrong then you’re not going to be blamed for it as you are there to learn and the projects are such that failure will have little or no impact to the company’s stability as well as it’ll be cross checked by colleagues for validity. {3. the opportunity or ability to act independently and take decisions without authorization.} After being given the project, it’s all down to you. The projects vary quite considerably depending on what department you are in.

My role was very much a data analyst - Excel being the main piece of software I’d use on a daily basics. Site visits and talking to colleagues in different departments broadened my knowledge of Energy industries and Gas network infrastructure. Like all placements, you also experience and learn about “the world of work” which is very useful experience to have as it means that being able to explore the company and it’s different job roles meant that after graduation I’ll be able to start my career path in the right place, and not take a couple of years moving around the company looking for my “ideal job”.

The office design is open planned “Hotdesking” so no one has their own desk, but teams have desks that they sit at to keep the team together. This meant that it was a big office with lots of people. It was a good environment, people were hard working, but chatting wasn’t frowned upon, but don't expect it to be "banter" as it is a professional office environment. . Free tea/coffee machines are also situated around the offices. Ties aren't mandatory, and dress-down Firday.

The placement had good structure with the beginning and end of it being at the companies training centre working on personal development. There was also a formal middle and end review, along with a final presentation that you give to managers and HR staff. There are a lot of opportunities that you’ll be encouraged to do, but you have to go seeking them (like site visits).

Highly – this can be seen by the initial and final personal development training and the opportunities that are presented and encouraged throughout the placement.

Very – with a very divers set of jobs and career paths within the company, it is easy to move around and find the job that is best suited to your abilities. With a continual learning and development approach to its staff, you’ll always be developing throughout your career.

As there are a wide range of students, there were always at least two in each set of offices. So it was good at lunch times to catch up with fellows to see how they were getting on in their department and what new things they had learnt. Outside of work, dependant on where you lived really. I lived 45/60 min drive away, so didn’t “meet up” after work that often.

I remained at my University rented house (Birmingham; 45/60min drive), so can’t comment on the cost of living/socialising in the local area to work.

I remained at my University rented house (Birmingham; 45/60min drive), so can’t comment on the Nightlife in the local area to work. I did go out once for a works meal, the local area was very pleasant with a couple of local clubs. You’d go to the standard Warwick University Nightlife areas though if you wanted some student style Nightlife.

I remained at my University rented house (Birmingham; 45/60min drive), so can’t comment on the outside of work activities - however there was a free gym at the office.