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Robyn Davies

From day one, I was very nervous entering my internship in Aerzen Machines but everyone made me feel right at home. By lunchtime, I was given a full tour of the office and workshop, introduced to all the staff and given my timetable for the year.
Luckily for me, the company had sent me to Germany (where the head office is) beforehand for a two week training course so I could enter my internship with a good basic knowledge of blowers and compressors.

I started my internship within the Sales department which gave me a good insight into the companies customers and the product we were selling. My second rotation was into stock control where I managed all orders and parts. I was surprised by the large amount of trust and responsibility I was given but it only made me more keen to perform better.

As of this year so far I have begun in the workshop and have just completed my first week of stripping and rebuilding blowers. Something which I had never imagined myself doing! But I have to say I am loving working in my dungarees and steel-toe capped boots and have never learnt so much in such a short amount of time.

Taking on this internship was the best choice I have made so far. Even if this may not be the exact industry I wish to continue onto- not only have I learnt so much more than I have in a long time but I have gained exprience, met wonderful people and started to experience what a real life is like and started thinking about my future.

Update

Working for Aerzen Machines was a great opportunity because I got to see all aspects of the company and in turn get to know every person in the company (there are approx. 30 people in the Loughton office). Since my last blog, I have worked in the Contracts department, Aftersales and back in the shop floor again in Assembly. I am now working on finishing up the company’s British Standard ISO 18001 certification, which will be examined externally once I have left.

Coming to up to my final week in my internship, I am starting to feel a bit sad. As I think over the past 51 weeks in this company I have had such good memories and developed close relationships to people who I will really miss. As well as being extremely educational, this past year has taught me so much about my self.

I now feel like I know more about the type of job and company that will suit me and hopefully this will give me more confidence, which will come across in future interviews. This past year I have learnt lessons you cant learn in a University lecture hall and I believe that employers will be looking for that, thus making my CV that much stronger.

I thoroughly recommend taking a Sandwich course, because not only is it a break from studying but it is a chance to look into the real world and help you decide what you want to become after your degree. The applying can be stressful but it will do you the world of good once you've got your foot in the door. Good luck to you all that apply!

Joel Longbottom

For my placement year I was lucky enough to secure a place at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines Ltd (HPE) in Brixworth Northampton. As Mercedes’ Formula 1 engines concern HPE supplies engines to McLaren, Mercedes GP and Force India. During my time with the company I worked within the testing team as a Test Engineering Intern. The test engineering team get involved in all aspects of testing for the company and specify new testing methods as the need arises. Of the projects I completed, the designing of a rig for testing KERS batteries was very rewarding as nothing had previously existed for the purpose. I also helped to develop various other test rigs and equipment, as well as getting involved in day to testing activities. Being around so many engineers and technicians benefitted me a great deal in many ways, not only developing my technical engineering ability but also my communication and interpersonal skills.

In terms of securing the placement the university’s team were brilliant, helping with both my CV and interview technique. Aside from their help, I just submitted my CV which secured me an interview. I faced a grilling for an hour and then two days later I was offered the job.

I think if I could offer any advice to students thinking of applying to do a placement it would firstly be to definitely go for it! Secondly, I would say just apply to anything you like the sound of – somebody has to get the job and if you don’t apply then you have no chance

Luke Hayes

Luke with his Visual Management project, boss, team mates and Vice President of Airbus.

First Month

My name is Luke Hayes and I have just finished my 2nd year of Aviation Engineering MEng. On the 22nd June I started a 1-year placement at Airbus in Filton, Bristol and so far have done 6 weeks here. I am working in Maintenance Engineering, mainly focusing on Landing Gear, however throughout the year I will be working on projects with Wing Structure, Fuel Systems and Spares.

The working environment I am in is an open plan office floor accommodating almost 400 people, mostly all working in Customer Services. I am based in a close-knit Landing Gear team consisting of 6 people, who I have found very easy to get on with and weeks ago I was already settled in and felt like I had been here a long time. The main responsibilities of my team are to answer customer queries related to scheduled maintenance and to develop the maintenance manuals of new and existing Airbus aircraft.

The first couple of weeks was familiarising myself with the people around me and learning about the job that they all do, as well as being bombarded with acronyms for everything, however over time I’ve got used to this. I attended as many meetings as I could, to get familiar with how the company works and what it is like working here.

The projects I have been involved in so far have been firstly a Visual Management tool in the form of an interactive PowerPoint presentation that is displayed on a big screen in the department. It’s purpose is to inform the department and passers-by of the detail and status of the work going on in the department and the successes and issues related to it. I am also working on a Finance Tool to better understand the cost involved in running an industry like this. These however are side projects to familiarise myself with other aspects of the company before I get involved in the proper work.

Having not even done 2 months here, I already strongly recommend doing a placement, especially with a large company, as you can gain insight into your chosen industry and valuable experience that you would never get at university.

Second Month

This is the end of my 10th week here at Airbus and the past month has been the best month yet!

I have started doing customer queries for the Long Range family of Airbus aircraft (A330, A340), which is one of the main parts of the job here. These consist of queries that airlines or operators have related to scheduled maintenance. These are sent by email and we have 10 working days to answer it by, unless they request a fast response. I have been responsible for and answered 4 so far and each one has been a good tool to learn the background to the subject or system involved. This has taught me the importance of communicating in a clear and professional way, often to people whose first language may not be English, and also how to work under pressure, as I even got a telephone call from a major airline asking for an answer.

A couple of weeks ago I attended an A350 Critical Design Review (CDR) which was a meeting on the latest developments on the design of the Main Landing Gear for Airbus’ latest aircraft currently in development. I found this very interesting and it was a good opportunity to get involved in the development of this new aircraft. Soon I will contributing more to this, as our team will start to write the maintenance manuals and analysis for the A350, with which I will be contributing to.

This week I have met many people in high authority within Airbus. One of which was the Vice President of Airbus, Charles Champion, and he was presented with the Visual Management tool that I developed and he was very impressed with the tool. I even had a photo taken with him! To put into context the hierarchy of management within Airbus, my boss is the head of UK Maintenance Engineer, and Charles Champion is 4 management levels above him!

Airbus is situated next to an airfield, so while I have been here I have started a lifelong dream of mine to learn to fly. As well as this, yesterday I attended a landing gear extension and retraction test (bottom picture) at the landing gear test facility here where I was standing a meter away from a full set of 5-tonne-each moving landing gear. Therefore, a placement isn’t all work and no play and can open many other opportunities to you!

I am thoroughly enjoying my placement and one piece of advice I have got is to take any opportunity you can academically and experience wise, as both are just as important as each other in getting a good job, and fast. Most of the guys who I work with didn’t do a degree at my age, but worked as an apprentice in a more practical role. They have a wealth of experience more than me, however it took them a long time to get to the position they are in now, and my manager was exactly the same. Therefore it is important to get as much qualifications as you can early in your life so that you don’t have to go back to study when you’re older or be limited in what job you can apply for. However, a degree on it’s own without any experience, even a Masters, is little on its own to guarantee you a job because there will be could be others with more experience than you and nothing to stick you out from others with a similar degree. Therefore a placement year is the perfect way to get the experience on your CV to identify you from others. This has trampled any doubts I may have had of doing a placement, and confirmed my decision to pursue the MEng route.

Kirat Dhiman

My 12month workplace was based in St George’s University of London, within the e-Learning department. My job title was an e-learning technologist and my position required me to use a range of different computer software to create, edit and update high quality education open-source learning resources, which covered the key medical and healthcare topics studied by the students of St George’s University.

I was fortunate enough to work within a team consisting of 12-15 members of staff, all of whom were from different cultural and educational backgrounds, who warmly welcomed me into their working environment and guided me through my placement, making it a professional and educational experience. During my placement I was able to attend important formal meetings, liaise with highly academic senior staff, contribute to important project work and also given the opportunity to attend annual conferences within London.

The placement allowed me to meet and network with new staff, which allowed me to not only to improve my interpersonal and communication skills, but also create an informal social bond with staff. The placement allowed me to improve essential professional skills such as communication, presentation, self-management and organisational skills, which I believe will benefit me when pursuing a future career.

I strongly recommend a student to complete a 12month work placement, as it allows you to practise and develop essential professional skills and to gain a 12 month education experience in a professional environment. It also gives you the opportunity to gain an understanding of the different career prospects your degree can offer and also allow you to, possibly, secure a permanent position once completing your undergraduate degree.

Kirat Dhiman - Biomedical Science BSc (Hons)

Cheryce Vassell

Where Magic Happens!!!

When choosing a University, Brunel came top of the list as they allowed students on my course (Business and Management [Marketing]) to do a sandwich degree. Brunel Business School prides itself as one of the top sandwich placement providers in the country and they lived up to their promise.

I knew that doing a placement would allow me to gain some hands on experience in the competitive business world. When I was applying for a placement I went to the Placement & Careers Centre my placement officer reassured me that doing a placement had additional benefits such as gaining an insight into your chosen career, making useful contacts, better preparation for applying for graduate job, finding ideas for dissertations and end of year projects.

The Placement & Careers Centre was excellent in giving me advice about improving my CV, cover-letter and interview technique, which helped boost my confidence when applying for a placement. The office is also equipped with the most helpful resources such as, CV templates and informative videos with tips and information on the application process. The placement officers also do mock interviews, and have mock assessments tests to help you practice for interview process. The placement officers helped me highlight my skills in the best possible way. I was invited for 9 interviews with well know blue chip companies such as VW, Apple and Disney.

The friendly approachable manner at the Placement & Careers Centre at Brunel helped me to be persistent when applying for a placement although at times it wasn’t easy. When I got knocked back I wasn’t afraid to ask for help as the placement staff continued to encourage me and made sure that I was promptly made aware of any new placement vacancies.

Doing a placement was great fun and a great experience. I believe that the preliminary work put in by the placement officers was essential to its success. The process of applying for placements is tedious and time consuming but I feel that all the efforts were worth while. The application process allows you to get an insight into the competitiveness of getting a job in the corporate world and this also help you to understand if you have chosen the right career path.

I hope that other students can go on a successful placement journey like mine. The Placement & Careers Centre helped me to get a placement at the Walt Disney Company “where magic happens” but the magic truly began at the Brunel Placement & Careers Centre.

Olly Self

Like the first day of anything new I was a bit nervous on my first day at Williams F1. This was slightly different though, this was the kind of nerves you get at the point of dream realisation! I’ve wanted to design racing cars my whole life so to be able to do it in my placement was an amazing opportunity - one not to be taken lightly! With this in mind, I decided on my first day that I would bight off more than I could chew and then chew like hell!!

Within the first week I had seen the team owner and met one of the drivers - I doubt that would be possible working for a big team. Williams is a small team where everyone knows everyone else. That’s partly why I chose it.

The best bit about working for a Formula One team is the pace of life. By the end of the first week it became apparent that due to the tight design schedule for next year’s car it would not be possible for me to take the two week CAD (Computer Aided Design) course - I am therefore learning as I go! Parts are always being designed and manufactured for the race at the weekend. This means HIGH stress, but an interesting environment. If a part needs to be ready then we stay till it is! Last week I designed an aluminium manifold for a pump and within 2 hours the part was in my hand. The best part of the job is being put on the critical path for something. Here you know that what you do directly effects how the car will perform. It makes course work feel very low stress!

Of course though, being able to sit back and watch the race is still my favourite bit. And on one of the race weekends the employees are able to watch the Sunday race in the onsite cinema / conference rooms, with lunch provided! This was wicked and an easy way to keep the ‘Mrs’ happy while watching the race.

The office banter is great and spreads across all the age gaps. I’m commonly referred to as ‘Student’ or ‘Smiler’ and many of the staff are commonly just known by their nicknames.

It’s not all glamorous though as I have taken over a duty from the last placement student who designed a system for ordering the CAD models of small components such as screws O-rings and studs. Although this is time consuming and incredibly boring it is teaching me lots of clever CAD techniques which will really help in next year’s projects!

One of my other responsibilities is that I’ve been put in charge of the fuel pumps. This means that any faults at races or in practice sessions come to me. As well as that I am in charge of making any modifications to the pump assembly to try and alleviate the chance of particular faults. This includes a lot of testing on the various rigs to prove that my improvements give performance gains. This has already led me to having implemented extra tests that pumps must undergo before they are fitted to the race cars and even a modification to the housing of the pumps to improve performance. I’ll be watching the next race praying my new ‘bad boy’ pumps don’t fail!!

Update

So it’s getting into Crunch time in the wonderful world of formula One! To those not in the industry it appears that, as there are no cars racing at the moment this would be the empty part of the season. Now I’ve worked in this environment I will never think this again! November and January are the two busiest months in the F1 calendar. I have been working a minimum of 12 hours a day for the past month and this is set to continue for the next month or two.

It’s what happens when a small number of people are given the immeasurable task of designing a complete car. Not just any car, a car that must take to the track and compete at speeds you and I will never drive at. A car that will be pitted against cars that have been built by teams with bigger budgets, faster drivers and more designers. It is these overwhelming odds that Designers at Williams and the other smaller teams face, and it is the satisfaction of knowing that you have done your job better than the big budget teams which keep people at Williams.

It is that feeling which drives the whole company. It is only after working in the company for this long that I have talked to enough people, to fully understand this. I’m at a stage now where the work that I do actually has a positive input into the design office. I now have parts that must be delivered on time. Not so they can be marked, not so that they can be checked but so they can be used when the car is built in the next few weeks.

That’s why I’m here. That’s why I put these ridiculous hours in. That’s why everyone in the factory works so hard. When I talk to the designers who designed the champion winning cars in previous years they always make reference to what they did to help achieve it. Now with all the parts I have designed that are on this year’s car I will consider that I have really played my part in any success that we, Williams, have this year, And that is why this year has been so good.

Update

Yesterday, or actually earlier today depending on how you look at it I stayed up till 3 in the morning watching and waiting for the FW32 to be fired up for the first time. I kind of had to be there in case any of my parts failed. But knowing it is an experience that money can’t buy kept me there so much more than the responsibility. Seriously you could offer Frank all the money in the world and he would not let you see that car before the he knew it worked.

So there you have it. It was me, most of the Engine systems group, the race team mechanics, a few gear box people, the Cosworth guys, Patrick Head and Sam Michaels all waiting for this car to start. Now that is a situation I have always dreamt of!

To see that car kick into life (with the aid of about 5 computers) was just an awesome sight, and a deafening sound. It was the sort of deep rumbling feeling in your stomach that only an engine of ridiculous power can invoke. It was only then I realised what I had helped achieve.
And that was it. A short session idling, a quick (and mighty impressive) rant up through the gears and it was engine off. Ready for the mechanics to bolt on all the body work and send it off to Silverstone for a few pre testing shakedown laps. The next day the head of the Design office called everyone in for a meeting where he thanked us all for all that we had done. He even gave a special mention to the students for all their work.

Bedir Bekar

Bedir Bekar is currently on industrial placement in his third year of Civil Engineering with Sustainability

What drew me to the course was, first, the sandwich placement scheme it offered, and second, Brunel’s reputation for Engineering.

From the moment I attended the Engineering and Design open day, I have been witness to my lecturers’ passion for our subject. The Department is a wellspring of knowledge, constantly being filled by the renowned academic and practical work of the lecturers, who are all still strongly involved with the industrial world. I really enjoy knowing that I am learning from some of the best in the field, but this doesn’t mean that my lecturers have been unapproachable or unhelpful. Although the emphasis on independent learning is strong, I can always go and seek personal help from my lecturers. Although I have felt challenged at times, I have never felt lost.

My first year proved an enjoyable challenge. As different as the world of university is to college, from the beginning of the course there were plenty of opportunities to “get stuck in”. My favourite aspects of the first year was the high volume of practical work we took part in, particularly the 5 day field trip to Dorset to study coastal defences and geology and the mid-term multidisciplinary project collaborating with Design & Engineering students from all over the School to build and enter fully functioning robotic rover units in an inter-departmental competition. The emphasis on sound practical understanding to accompany the taught theory was heightened even more in second year, resulting in even more enjoyable practical laboratory sessions.

I am currently on my year 3 paid sandwich placement with the URS Corporation, one of the world’s largest multidisciplinary Engineering & Environmental Services companies. I work in the London Building Structures Team in the European head office, and have been working on everything from Structural Design, to Earthworks and even on the business side of the industry. I’m finding it thoroughly interesting and the placement is helping to paint a consolidated understanding of the engineering industry, that will help in my final year, and when I graduate. The placement is also enabling me to gather ideas for my dissertation, and gain valuable experience which will be of great use when I enter the industrial world. I am sure this industrial year will set me ahead of other graduates, and this is essential for fulfilling my goal of becoming a chartered engineer. I believe that the most important thing for a competent engineer is experience, and I have learnt just as much on my placement as I have in my first two years at University.

Update

Boy, have I been kept busy over the last few months (hence my incredibly delayed update). Outside of the many smaller-scale projects I have been working on I embarked on my first site visit back in January to carry out a structural survey of a 19th Century building that a client of ours is looking to reengineer and refurbish as part of a large scale development project we’re working on. It was an incredibly interesting experience, inspecting every nook and cranny and analysing every structural element to work out how and why the building had been built that why, what deterioration it had gone through over the past hundred or so years and how the structure was now behaving and deforming due to the physical and environmental conditions it had been under, as well as what must be done to fortify it. It was literally C.S.I. Structural Mechanics. I found it taught me a lot about past engineering practices and thus gotten a better feeling of how the process of decision making and engineering has evolved over the years gone by (as well as fortifying my understanding of design process for end use of a building). Another project that I have been working on is aiding my line manager in the review of structural calculations for a high-rise development of three towers in Baku, Azerbaijan. We’ve been collaborating with our office in Los Angeles, and conferring with the Main engineer in Turkey and the construction team based in Azerbaijan. It’s amazing seeing how the world of engineering and construction works globally, and an enjoyable experience liaising with people of many professions from all walks of life.

More importantly, since February I have been working as part of the Structural Engineering team on a development for a new multi-use commercial motorway services building to be built on the outskirts of London. It has been a hectic few months, zipping all around town with my team, liaising with Architects and Clients, but the effort is paying off. My job has been to work on the frame design and structural analysis, so I have been working heavily on the Computer with a modelling and analysis package whilst carrying out a lot of hand checks and design analysis. It has proven an interesting project as architecturally the aesthetic consideration is great and the frame consists entirely of steel, which has thus proven an engineering challenge. Not being an ordinary box-shaped building, the sinusoidal roof with huge cantilevers means that under wind loading the roof itself behaves like an aerofoil, exerting interesting uplift forces on the structural frame. At times I have found myself stressed and tired as my team have pushed me hard. Part of the reason is also understanding and dealing with the huge responsibility of designing a whole building that people will use and be in, ensuring it is safe for use. But that is also what drives me to do my best on this project, for I can think of nothing more gratifying than knowing that one day this building will be standing due to mine and my teams’ efforts. It is this feeling of accomplishment that drives the people in the office to work their best, to meet the pressing commercial deadlines and to help develop London’s Infrastructure. Nothing is more gratifying than fulfilling the responsibilities that an Engineer shoulders, knowing that it is my duty to better my environment for others as best as I can.

Chi Yu

The first month of my placement went very well. On the first day, I started off having my introduction, meeting and introducing myself to everyone in the company and finding out their roles. Everyone is very kind and welcoming. We even got off work early to go to a pub to celebrate the end of the previous placement students! During the pub session we got to know each other better, which really helped to break the ice.

I’ve settled in very quickly and have been given a variety of challenging tasks that I have completed to the company’s high standards. The variety of tasks that I am given includes creating original graphics, preparing graphics for iPhone apps and Facebook apps, Flash animations and finding suitable sound and editing sound files. I am already learning a wide degree of skills within the industry as well as improving on existing skills.

Carmen Wong

Four weeks into the job and I must say I have learnt so much already and there is yet more to learn!

In the first week I got introduced to various people I would probably never remember let alone talk to again, but also people that could really help me further my career as a commercial pilot. 3M is filled with so many kinds of people that could give you an idea of where you maybe in five or ten years time, for example there is a former placement student also from Brunel working as a product engineer!

My manager Tony Balkwill is such a character, take your most talkative friend times that by ten and you are not even close, he has such passion for his work it’s just something to admire. Getting started was hard, I was being thrown into the deep end as I came in the middle of projects and not understanding fully what exactly I was doing. Tony says it’s hard to explain projects that have gone on for months all at once, though hard to it’ll be quicker and easier to understand as you do it, and I totally agree.

My first two tasks were designing a panel for mounting electrical components of a system and online shopping! The panel was for a system that uses UV cameras and other optics to detect voids on a production line of sticky type. The voids would come in forms of uneven spread of the sticky material on plain or patterned web. Online shopping was for a precision profile slide on which mirrors and optics are mounted, deflecting a laser beam into somethingl used to make Velcro like material. The molten material would be extruded in the material that has thousands of tiny holes to make the spike and hook of the material when cooled. It is the holes on the material that is cleaned by the laser.

Both task involved sticking to very specific specifications and overcoming different types of obstacles. In order to design the panel I had to learn to use a simplified drawing package, CorelDraw, this task was finished in just over a week. The profile slide involved a lot more talking to different suppliers and making clear of the interfaces, as the laser was yet to design and the budget given is 10% of what it should have been it require a lot more overseeing.

Other odd jobs I did were learning and making PCB’s (printed circuit boards), learning AutoCAD, using the milling and drawing machines, cleaning, putting together and calibrating eight thousand pound quartz lens camera, which I chipped!

Carmen Wong
Student engineer at
3M UK PLC

Third month

To date my placement has been very interesting and rewarding. At the time I joined the Instrumentation and Control team there were three systems in production; the first is a project involving inspection for sachet fill, this project was in the last few stages of being tested and finalised. For this project one of my first tasks was to design the panel in which the UPS, CPU and other electrical components are fitted, for this design I was to learn from scratch a vector graphics editor program called CorelDraw.

The second was an on going project started a year and a half ago, this was due to setbacks and reprioritising of projects, this inspection system was to detect contamination and defects on the web of the product. I assisted in writing up some of the documentation for the help file of the system and calibrating camera iris’ to a specific diameter and setting sensor stop positions.

The third system is a new LASER system designed to clean a production tool. The LASER beam is to be focused to clean the residue from millions of holes with diameters of a few hundred microns, this project is in its very early stages of development. As the I&C (Instrumentation and Control) team are primarily new to designing with LASERs, I have been thrown in the deep end by not being able to learn from previous systems of a similar principle. But I have taken this opportunity as a positive steep learning curve and hold a sense of accomplishment in knowing I was involved from the beginning.
Due to the very aggressive deadline and an even more aggressive budget (10% the estimated value before the economic climate). We as the I&C team have really ‘hit the ground running’, there is very little room for mistakes and setbacks and organisation is essential to meet the aims and specifications.

Since the beginning of my placement I have been liaising with various external companies as well as internal 3M sites in order to progress in the development of the systems, this has given me a good insight of project management, the logistics of each project and a deeper understanding of the organisation as a whole. Alongside all the theoretical principles and practical skills learnt, I have discovered that there are a lot of politics involved in the corporate life of large companies such as 3M this maybe due to the reputation 3M has built over the years as a multinational company.

My mentor and department manager, Tony Balkwill, has been particularly helpful in assisting my understanding of the systems, by explaining specific details and theories I’m able to give valid input and suggestion in to the projects positively influencing its development and progress. Though I’m from a more mechanical discipline I have found learning electronics extremely interesting most possibly due to the infectious enthusiasm of Tony. I have become more knowledgeable in computing and I’m ever more interested in learning programming.

Due to the nature of the placement not one day’s work is the same and so the I&C laboratory provides an exciting and enjoyable place to work and learn. I look forwards to the challenges that the next quarter will bring.

Fifth month

The LASER project that I have been working on since the start of my placement is in the final stages of its build the majority if the design and development has been completed. There have been several problems with the other detection systems installed, these problems have delayed our current projects and caused the need to reprioritise and reorganise tasks and deadlines.

Alongside the LASER project a new project has been given the ‘green light’ as trials and tests were passed. This new project is the designing of a new detection system that inspects the size and shape of every pin on a running production line of mechanical fastening systems. The system works by lighting the web line from underneath and four camera vision systems over hang the web to measure the individual pins. This new technology was thought near impossible until the trial was run and passed. Not only will this prevent our company from producing cap-less pin product that causes the mechanical fastening systems to not stick it also gives our company an edge and guarantee over our competitors.

It has been a huge privilege to been able to work on such advanced technology within the laboratory. In the busy work environment that I’m working in I have enhanced my knowledge about the bureaucracy of not only how my laboratory team functions but also the interactions with other UK and global 3M sites. In realising the regulations and produces behind each project it has made me appreciate how much work is put into making every day products we use.

In these recent months I have been given more responsibility and the expectations of my performance have also increased. Since I started this role as student engineer my department has always had two placement students, one mechanical and one electronic but as the climate of the economy has changed I was the only placement taken on. I take this opportunity as a steep yet positive learning curve. Not only have I further my experience and learning in my own fundament background as a mechanical engineer but I have also had to step in to learn about electronics and this has not been without challenge. I have learnt a vast amount about computer set-up and installations, exposure to programming and PIC code writing has made me interested in finding out future uses within my studies.

As my manager’s confidence in me has increased, tasks are often explained once and I would be left to my initiative to complete the tasks. At first this seemed daunting and I hesitated to get started, but several valuable mistakes have made me more aware when designing and to think through the whole process well in advance, I have grown in a way only experience can provide.

Ricky Ellis

My work placement year in Montreal, Canada, was without doubt my favourite experience since studying Biomedical Sciences. It not only allowed me to put into practise our knowledge learnt over the previous years at Brunel University, it also enabled me to branch out and perform my own research, studying areas around Cancer Immunotherapy that particularly interested me. While working at the Biotechnology Research Institute I was able to see the true range of biomedical research and development, from theories being put into practise in the lab, to new therapeutics being implemented in a clinical setting. The experience was invaluable, providing me with constant opportunities to learn new skills and develop both professionally and personally. These new skills I hope to utilize in my final year studies and in applying for post-graduate posts adding employability and character to my CV.

Ricky Ellis
Level 3 Biomedical Sciences

Koculan Moorthy

I’m Koculan Moorthy studying Electronic & Electrical Engineering and am now doing my placement year at Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe in Maidenhead. I started my placement on the 20th July 2009 and am working for the Applications / Testing Department. I would like to say if you really want to work in a technical role, then there is no better place than Fujitsu Microelectronics. Even though I have only been working here for about two months, I have gained a lot of experience in the electronics field compared to the knowledge I had at university.

The application for Fujitsu was a CV submission based one, where you have to submit your CV to the Placement Office through U-Link. There were two posts put up on U-Link which were for Design and Application; I applied for both of these jobs and by mid February and I had my interview set up for March for both roles!

In terms of the interview process, the questions were fully based on technical knowledge and there was lab testing exercise. The interview questions were based on fundamentals of electronics and also what you have been studying in the second year. They also look into what type of projects you have done. Later on the day, you would be introduced to the current interns and they would talk you through their experience and also what kind of projects they have been doing. You will also be given a presentation about the company.

Within one week of the interview, I got my results saying that I had been selected for the Application / Testing post. It was a great moment for me because I was looking for a job where there would be more exposure to the technical side of things and Fujitsu was the right choice!

What my job involves is designing circuits from schematic level to the final board level. This involves learning the software, analysing what components need to be used, soldering and learning how to use the equipment used for testing. Currently what I have been doing is designing a clock circuit for the DAC and testing on it (the picture below is of the circuit which I had designed).

When I joined the company I was assigned to a supervisor, who is in charge of the projects and all the work which I do. The staff here are very friendly and helpful. I feel doing a placement at Fujitsu gives a good exposure to the industry and also helps you to prepare for your final year of your degree.

Simon Trevena

My name is Simon and I’m currently on placement working for BAE Systems. BAE Systems is a defence company producing everything from submarines to tanks to jet fighters. I work in the military air solutions capability at Warton which has its own operational airfield on site. The Typhoon is their biggest contract so far, which is the project I’m working on. Currently I’m working as an undergraduate flight test engineer which mainly involves writing flight test plans, analysing flight data and monitoring live telemetry.

I have been very welcomed here and absolutely loving it! I work in a team of 7 and everyone is willing to help and answer all of my questions (mainly on acronyms). There is always a lot going on so you’re never quiet. At the moment we are planning a flight test for air to air refuelling between a Typhoon with a DC-10 & 707 fuel tanker which will take place in October at an RAF base. I will be on site for that to help out with the telemetry, monitoring the handling and performance data. This is a great opportunity for me to see and work with live telemetry coming through from an operational mission (sortie).

I would advise everyone to experience an engineering placement as it is so much different from university. You will learn a lot of vital skills everyone will need to get a job in industry that you can’t learn in the lecture centr

Heman - Orange

I went to Orange as a student on placement but only a couple of months later, I was working on important projects and travelling abroad to attend meetings with the senior management team. I used theoretical knowledge developed at Brunel to improve business processes and designed an online testing tool for Orange to help the co-ordination of device testing within the UK and Europe.

I was asked to return part-time as part of my final year project. The work placement scheme was extremely beneficial to me – it allowed me to choose my career path easily and gave me a clearer idea about the kind of work I wanted to do after graduation. Not only this, but the professional attitude that I learnt while working and travelling to different countries was a great help to me when starting my career.

Louise Goldsmith

I started at American Express in July and entered their finance department in London. Already I can honestly say I have learnt a huge amount, about the working environment and the responsibility of having a full time job. My work includes updating Legal entities in planning and forecasting for month end analysis as well understanding why there are variances (if any) in the P&L. I am assisting with most tasks and even planning to undertake one of the main projects to help ease the workload of my team. The environment is extremely easy going and friendly, and everyone is willing to give you a bit of their time to help you if you have any questions. Everyday is different and I am so happy I took up this opportunity.

Nada

I have secured a 12 month placement at IBM working in the Sales and Marketing department as part of the General Business Northeast Integrated Operating Team (GB NE IOT) as a Marketing Management Assistant.

My role supports the planning and execution of IBM marketing programmes into the GB market across the NE IOT. The NE IOT consists of four major Integrated Marketing Teams (IMTs) – UKI (UK & Ireland), Germany, Nordics and the Alps (Switzerland & Austria). This has improved my analytical skills and ability to communicate clearly (in English) to different nationalities. One of my own responsibilities is monitoring and developing a reference database which is applied effectively to support sales and demand generation.

My placement experience has been absolutely incredible. I am 3 months into my placement and yet feel that I have developed many skills already and my confidence had increased immensely. I was given real responsibilities from day one and the best part of working at IBM is that everyone supports me and treats me as part of the team. I am given the chance to take control of projects and develop them with a sense of ownership. My work is always appreciated; everyone thanks me and is willing to teach me new skills.

Working at IBM also provided me with a great opportunity to network with people from different departments across the company. People are much nicer than I ever imagined they could be! I know that all the skills that I developed will help me perform better in my final year at University.

The Placement and Careers Centre supported me to get a placement at IBM. They were very helpful in giving me advice on how to construct a professional CV as well as practice for interviews and assessment centres. I would definitely recommend students to undertake a placement. Competition for graduate jobs is fierce and I believe you need good work experience alongside a good degree. Furthermore, there has been evidence that students who undertake a placement year get better degree results than full time graduates. Finally, you get to earn as you learn!

Joseph Town

I started a placement just under three months ago with an engineering and planning firm called Wind Prospect that develops wind energy sites across the UK and around the globe. I am located within the planning and developments team in the company completing a variety of activities that take potential sites, usually in the north-east of England due to the office’s Durham location, through to the submission of a planning application. This process usually takes anywhere between 3 and 5 years for each site.

A major part of the development of a wind farm is the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and environmental statement (ES), two areas which I am concerned with whilst working with Wind Prospect. These documents require a large amount of ecological appraisals and landscape & visual assessments, which take up a lot of my time here, often using GIS software such as MapInfo and other engineering software like AutoCAD.

The ability to see how a team work together in an office and what needs to be done to get large engineering projects started is a highly insightful and educational experience that I am fully enjoying.

Shola Aminu

Role: Control Analyst

The journey I undertook to secure a placement was so unreal you would think it was written for a movie. Right from the start I wasted no time in sending out CVs and filling out Application Forms. It was very challenging as I had to balance my time doing my academic studies and also being VP + Treasurer of Brunel African & Caribbean Society. I am also a keen sportsman so I had to compromise my training timetable to allow time for placement applications. It really tested my time management skills and pushed me to my limits.

I applied to over 45x jobs, attended 8x interviews, took 3x IT test, attended 1x assessment day and still remained unsuccessful in my quest. Many times I thought about giving up but I am glad I did not. Mohammed Rahman and the placement officers were very helpful and I assured that I utilized all the opportunities whether it was a Mock Interview or general chat with an advisor.

Securing this job at Newedge, Central London was very tough. After being accepted for an internship in one of their departments in April and the offer was withdrawn due to budgetary cuts in June was demoralising. Later I was offered 2 other positions in two different departments in August and then starting this job in October demonstrated that my persistence did not go to waste.

I work in the ECC Control Group as an Analyst which involves a lot of investigation into the French trades and shares reports our department receives on a daily basis. This position has allowed me to liaise with our affiliates in Frankfurt, Chicago and Seoul. I am learning new things everyday and I am very thankful to the Placement and Careers Centre for supporting me in my placement search. I would be glad to return to Newedge for a graduate position after my degree.

My placement has given me a good understanding of the real world of work and it would be a great advantage over others without work experience when applying for graduate jobs. I am a more confident person now and I have gained interview and job applications skills that I did not have when I first came to Brunel.

Ahmed Bhatti

The atmosphere within the Law Centre was very friendly and supportive and I was made to feel an integral part of the team. The legal work involved was primarily legal aid services to clients from various backgrounds.

Being placed in Immigration Law for six months I was slightly apprehensive as I had no real prior knowledge of this field. However, the members of the Law Centre were excellent and made me feel comfortable immediately. I was able to understand quickly the tasks at hand and was given a high level of responsibility. I really contributed to actual casework and gained legal skills.

The skills that I developed were analytical, drafting, communication and teamwork skills. I drafted letters and various legal documents, created appeal bundles, drafted witness statements, interviewed clients, attended Tribunals and conferences with Counsel. Attending tribunals allowed me to draw comparisons between procedures in County and High Courts. I also spent time on reception which could be very busy and hectic but at the same time I learnt how the Law Centre operated as a whole.

I sat next to an experienced solicitor in the department, which provided an interesting insight into how a lawyer approached their work and what the important skills are that make a good lawyer. Furthermore, by working for the Law Centre, I was able to meet many lawyers who had experienced working for top City Law firms.

Importantly, I was able to understand the challenges and complexities of Immigration Law and most certainly gain a good feel for this area of law. By gaining a thorough insight into this area of law, I am now able to make an informed decision regarding my future. The diversity of cases also gives maintained my interest and allowed me to develop communication and analytical skills.

Finally, I gained a real sense of satisfaction when I was able to succeed in cases and successfully advise clients. I was given the freedom to my find effective solutions for clients and really help people. I am very happy to have chosen this placement and it has given me an excellent practical insight into life in the legal world.

Will Couch

When I started my second year in September 2008 I wasn’t on a sandwich year degree nor was I sure that it was the right thing for me. Having taken 2 gap years before coming to university I was keen to obtain my degree, step out into the big wide world and start climbing the ladder to financial success. Through research and the use of the placement office, I decided that a year in industry would be an excellent opportunity and one that I didn’t want to miss out on; my mind was set, all I had to do now was find a company to take me on. The placement centre was an excellent resource for this, they had a list of companies that you could apply to, and also provided lots of tips about securing the placement. I also booked myself in for some interview practice which provided an insight into what was expected of me.

I started my placement at the end of July with a company called DSTL, a government organisation that provides research to the Ministry of Defence. The first day was daunting but I was expecting that, there were lots of new faces and an incredible amount of information to absorb. I’ve settled in now and have just completed my 6th week of work. My main jobs involve CAD work followed by damage analysis and reporting. The responsibility that is given is overwhelming at first but at the same time very rewarding. I’ve been on a few courses so far (there are an endless amount of possibilities for personal development) and am signed up for more in the future. I’ll let you know how they go in my next blog!

WJC-1/9/2009

I mentioned in my last blog that I was signed up for more courses and that is pretty much all there is to report on this month. Two weeks of the month have been spent on a course that enabled me to understand and use the analysis software used within the company. The course also provided an insight into vulnerability modelling and the associated knowledge required to carry out the analysis, an example of this being the various effects that different weapons can have i.e. shaped charge jets, long-rods, fragmenting warheads. The software that I have been trained to use takes a target (a vehicle for example) and fires multiple shot’s at it, from there it can collate the data and using damage algorithms compute the damage to a target. As well as courses, I also attended a conference at which Richard Noble OBE presented a talk about his latest project, the Bloodhound SSC. This will be his record-breaking attempt to go to 1000mph. A very enthusiastic talk and project and more information can be found at www.bloodhoundssc.com.

I have also been assigned some new projects. As well as my CAD work which will provide improved assessment capabilities for the MOD in the future, I have been assigned to research future technology threats to the UK’s forces. This technology could be anything that is at the prototyping stages now to ideas that will take 20+ years to research and implement.

One of the important aspects for me signing up to do a placement year was personal development; DSTL is very supportive of me progressing and will assist within reason wherever they can. On top of technical learning, there are also management courses which are available, these will assist in the management of my work and time upon my return to university next year as well as when I start a job after graduation.

WJC-13/10/2009

Chris Knight

Ever since I wanted to do Engineering at University, I knew that a sandwich course was the route that I should take. Everything about it made sense to me: you get a wage, so can cut down on student debts, you gain invaluable experience of working in industry, and the list goes on. So pretty much the first thing I did when I started my second year was to start refining my CV so that I could begin to apply for placements. After liaising with the placement and careers centre, with my CV going to and fro, I was ready to apply for jobs in October.

I applied to about eight companies in all, and the most disheartening thing is that I only received one reply to say that my application has been processed. At this point, I pretty much gave up hope of getting a placement between my second and third year of the Masters course. Then my luck changed. After completing psychometric testing online, I found that I had been invited to an interview at MBDA. This was great news, but I did not get my hopes up. Now, to be honest, I had not the faintest idea who MBDA were, or what they did, until I began my application. When I found out that they were a missile systems company, I became very interested!

The icing on the cake was when I arrived for my interview, there were nine graduates competing for one mechanical engineering job, and two undergraduates for two jobs. This is the point where I just knew this was where I was going to be working!

I started working for MBDA in September, and it was an amazing start. The social life is healthy, with a total of 30 graduates starting at the same time, and a couple of undergrads thrown in, there are never less than 20 people going out at the weekends! On the work side of things, although I joined the mechanical engineering department, I actually was placed in the Materials and Processes group. Much of the work I did was analysing parts of missiles in development that had failed through testing. Then I would have to report what went wrong, and how to stop it happening on future designs. These tasks have helped me improve my report writing skills, and have expanded my knowledge of materials dramatically.

My main role now is to manage the task of choosing and implementing a new materials database for the whole company to use. This involves continuous communication with MBDA France (who luckily for me, all speak English!) and with different groups of employees in the UK. So far, this has improved my organisational skills, and communication skills.

The greatest thing of all about MBDA is the potential to be able to move around so many different departments easily.

Having spent three months on placement so far, would I recommend it? Definitely.

My tips? Apply early. With a very good CV, and you will get noticed.

Martin Newman

As a mechanical engineering (motorsport) student, I was wary of applying for the Electronics Hardware placement at Red Bull Technology. The placement office were useful in helping me craft a CV good enough to get an interview, and I managed to beat a huge amount of people in being chosen for the placement. I think my mechanical background actually appealed to the interviewers, as it gives me a different perspective and a particular set of skills that electronics students lack.

The Electronics Hardware department is responsible for the design of many of the electronic parts on the car, their fitment and their connection. There are two students: myself and an electronics student from Plymouth Uni. Our roles are very involved; students here are treated equally to permanent staff.

I have been involved in numerous projects, involving all sorts of areas of the car electronics and controls. Many of my projects have been mechanical in nature, such as protection for sensors and other electronic parts. I have been responsible for designing electronic parts such as circuit boards for the steering wheels and car setup equipment. I have also carried out testing on electronic parts, including vibration/temperature testing and x-ray testing. Recently my attention has been turned to the showcars that RBT run now most of the design for the RB5 is complete.

My advice for anyone planning on applying for a placement job in F1 is to have a great CV, one that stands out instead of looking identical to all the others. Vary what projects you include. You’ll probably find that Brunel gave you a lot of good skills that will come in useful. If you got to grips with NX you’ll be one step ahead of the design placement students, as we seem to be the only uni that teaches it.

During winter, this particular placement is also extremely demanding. It gets very involved with the car build process, and it will not be unusual for you to be working until past 2am most nights and over weekends. Don’t even bother applying if you don’t think you’ll be able to cope with the long hours from December-March. On the plus side, you get free take-away for staying late and a cooked breakfast at the weekends.

This is a great placement that’ll give you a lot of real-world knowledge and a wide variety of skills. You’ll be involved at all stages of projects: researching, designing, building, testing and fitting parts for an F1 car. I have only touched on the huge amount of things I’ve been involved in, as I’m at work and I didn’t want to end up writing a multi-page essay.

Doing a placement is a no-brainer. If you miss out you’ll be severely hampered trying to find a job when you’re competing with people who spent time in the industry, the real world is completely different to university. A placement in F1 is especially good for those that plan on moving into motorsport, as it’ll give you the chance to see if it’s really for you.

Laura Hogan

I started my second year at Brunel with high hopes of finding a placement for my third year. I started researching what was expected from a placement student and adapted my CV accordingly. In the first few months I applied to about 20 companies but had no luck of securing an interview. After a few months and several rejections without interview I found myself drifting away from my responsibilities to find a placement and focusing on my netball. I was training everyday sometimes twice a day, getting up at 6am, which placed a great strain on my attitude to do placement work. I started thinking there was always enough time and I could put it off for another week.

I feel if it wasn’t for my father’s constant concern that I wasn’t applying to enough opportunities I may have stayed focused on Netball and so wouldn’t have found a placement. However in the end, I applied for around 40 placements and was invited for a total of four very different interviews.

I am now working for a company called Newedge in Central London and within the first two months I have learnt more than I did in my first 2 years at Brunel. A placement is a vital part of our degree as I believe people generally learn better from hands on experience than academic study alone. I’ve been pushed past my boundaries and even surprised myself. I have developed confidence to deliver weekly presentations to the CEO and often have to speak to Newedge employees working in other offices in Frankfurt and Paris.

I found that in the current crisis it is even more of an advantage if we take the opportunity to gain experience in an environment that will test our knowledge and skills. Once we finish our degree we’re going to be competing for jobs that vary capable and experienced people are going to apply for and we need to give ourselves the best opportunity to succeed. A placement gives you an understanding of the working world and should be great advantage over graduates without work experience.

I found the whole process of getting a placement challenging. Rejections are never nice, especially when you spend three hours filling in an online application, but in the end it was worth it. In just a few months I have learnt more about business and industry than I feel I could by sitting in a classroom. I definitely feel I will be much more confident in interviews and working in new industries when I graduate.

Hemal Barot

My name is Hemal Barot and I am currently on a one year work placement in Customer Service International (CSI) Finance department at American Express in Brighton. I am pursuing a BSc in Economics and Business Finance.

During the process of applying for a placement I have learnt a lot about making applications, interviews and creating good first impressions. Upon securing a placement, it has not only helped me develop professionally, but it has also enabled me to develop myself personally. I have been able to gain a vast amount of skills which will prove to be essential skills for my career and my personal life. Skills such as inter-personal skill, excel skills, communication skills, time management skills, and many others. Through this work placement, I have been able to apply things I have learnt at university to the “real world”. I have been able to get an experience of what it is like to work within a Finance department and this has helped me decide on whether or not I would like to continue working in Finance after I graduate.

I believe by doing a work placement, it will give me an edge when I graduate and apply for jobs as I will already have acquired some of the key skills required to work within a working environment that many other students don’t have. In addition, I will have expanded my existing skills and knowledge in an International Finance department. Also the skills developed over my placement will prove to be vital skills in final year when I am faced with my dissertation and other assignments.

There is fantastic support provided by the Placement and Careers Centre to help you at every step and I strongly recommend all students to undertake a placement year as it will be a great learning curve and a very rewarding experience.

Anthony Omisade

I started my placement at Accenture in July and can honestly say it brought out the best in me and improved me as an individual. The early stages of the placement posed the greatest challenges because I had to search and apply for roles within projects, competing with hundreds of other employees.

During my time there I was privileged to work with four different clients, and my roles within those projects varied between software programming, database design and development, functional and technical design, testing, and many more.

My final project provided me with the opportunity to work on a client site. I was required to travel to West Sussex where I stayed in a very nice hotel with all expenses paid. The work was challenging yet fun because of the various types of people I was working with. I built a network larger than I ever could have imagined with contacts inside and outside of Accenture.

Accenture offered me a job when I finish my studies at Brunel and I managed to save enough money from placement to pay for my entire final year, so job hunting and finances are two things I don't have to worry about anymore.

Douglas Baldock

Following a short flight into Zurich and a 30 minute train ride to Baden, I was quickly shown to my apartment and handed the keys. The next day I had a great introduction to the area by an existing student and promptly boarded a train back to Zurich for Switzerland’s largest street party, over 600,000 people attended. Monday soon arrived and everything had been arranged for me to meet the HR officer in the morning. I had a few administration duties then I was introduced to my team, where I was given a full introduction to the department and Alstom as a company.

I am working in the Surface Solutions department where materials scientists are researching and developing new coatings materials to help combat the harsh environment inside a gas turbine. As with moving to a new country and starting a new job, there is a lot of paperwork to fill in, permits to obtain and a bank account to open. My first week was generally filled up with these tasks. After a weekend of exploring the countryside on my bike in the baking sun and a small social gathering, I was back to work with a bang. I was invited to a meeting where I was asked to be in charge of the set up and running of an experiment to determine the reason of thermocouple failure in one of the models of gas turbines produced by Alstom. The scientists here are busy but always have time to explain what they are developing and what engineering benefit it will have.

Shamba Turay

Being away on placement was like being in a whole new world away from university. It was a really exciting period I learnt a lot within that whole new environment and I managed to build a whole new list of contacts from people in the industry. I was fortunate to work at two very different organisations one being an international global financial organisation and the other was a small size communication service provider company based in the UK. However both my jobs were IT related.

I worked at Lehman Brothers IT Risk management division and had the opportunity to work on some challenging and exciting projects which helped developed my communication, analytical and problem solving skills to name a few. I had access to a wide range of hardware platforms and worked along really talented individuals. I also worked at VC-NET as a junior systems administrator doing day to day IT support and server administrative tasks.

Doing a year in industry gave me an introduction to professional life and a way of getting to know more about the industry I want to work in. It has also developed my organisation and time management skill which I find is extremely useful at the moment at university.

Andrew Matthews

I must admit, while in my first two years at University I had never given any thought to the notion of doing a placement and did not really believe all those students who had recently come back from their placements, on how it had changed them professionally and personally. How wrong I was.

I had some previous experience before coming to university; through school placements that linked very closely to the Aerospace Engineering course I am studying for. I started to apply for placements at the start of my second year but to no avail. I had interviews for most applications but rejection after rejection came through and I started to think there was not much point in doing a placement after all; it would only delay the time it took for me to get a degree and move on. Then, in the summer of 2010, I was persuaded to have another interview, with a little known company called Jankel Armouring. After a seemingly bad interview, I thought I wouldn’t get it. When the news came through that I had secured the role, I took it and have never looked back since.

I work in the engineering department at Jankel, a company which develops products for military and peace keeping organisations the world over. I work predominantly on Solid Works CAD to model designed parts and produce engineering drawings for them. I also do some design work myself and take part in engineering discussions for various projects and regularly contribute ideas that are implemented into designs. On the first day, I had introductions and a tour of the site, which was really interesting. I saw a lot of products on display which was not only thrilling but inspiring too. I started off with rather small things to

do (modelling brackets and producing technical drawings from them) but have since moved onto larger, more involved projects such as weapon mounts, Jeep vehicles and also a range of armoured vehicles. The most thrilling part of this job is that once you have designed a component, however small, you get to see it in real life which gives a real sense of fulfilment.

The first few weeks were shaky to say the least; I was nervous, kept forgetting people’s names, getting used to a new environment, finding my feet with the workload and also trying to fit in with everyone since I am the only student on placement here. I was quickly shown how everyone and everything works and took the reigns of the previous placement student. I have been treated like a real employee as opposed to a student, which has been comforting. Although I do not use so much theoretical knowledge as I was expecting, it has given me the chance to think about problems in a creative way; to actively look at better possibilities in real life rather than just on paper. I hope in the remaining months of my placement to come on board and take a larger responsibility on a project.

It has been about six months now and there is so much that I have learned and so much more to learn. It is true that during my placement it has been quite a shift from university theoretical study to real-life applications, but in some ways you can now really show that you’ve learned something and also become a better engineer. Jankel offers a different type of placement compared to other bigger companies; there is more of a family atmosphere, where everyone is willing to help each other out. The work that it does is incredible and really does serve a good purpose for our country.

Work placements are not all about work though. I have socialised with people from work; we have been go-karting, which was tonnes of fun and also for dinner. It is on placement where you not only learn about other people, but also about yourself. Used in the right way, it can do far more than just get you employed; it can also help you to make choices about what you want to do for your future. It has become increasingly important over the last year that graduates come out of university with experience during their time there, and taking a year out to do so presents the perfect opportunity.

To anyone out there who is still unsure whether to do one or not, be it fear of making mistakes or going into a new environment, I will just say this: Do not be afraid to take on challenges and get things wrong. The greatest engineers indeed did not get where they were without making mistakes. Make the right choice.

Good luck in finding your ideal placement!

Adam James

Why I Think You Should Apply

General Motors has given me, so far, one of the most complete placement years I could want. They have taken care of training me appropriately for the job I have undertaken by using many organised presentations, and have arranged shadowing opportunities with others in the department to gain a greater understanding of the work environment.

They have helped me find a house and a group of people I actually want to live with through a 2 day event in the middle of summer where all of the General Motors undergrads were invited along to fill in the final pieces of paperwork, but most importantly to meet those we would be working with. This involved accommodation in a hotel overnight with activities in the evening (bowling then Liquid) and in the morning a selection of houses ready to view. This made the whole process very easy and painless. Most of all General Motors have supplied me with the most important aspect of doing a placement year; a great chance to gain valuable experience which is almost essential to have in the current economic climate.

What I Enjoy Most About My Job

I enjoy working on such a variety of different projects for many different companies which involves liaising with customers concerning the setup of tests, relaying results to them and answering any questions they might have. I also enjoy the practical side of actually running the tests as I’m gaining valuable hands on experience of highly specialised equipment I would otherwise have had little contact with.

What Have I Learnt So Far

I have learnt the very basics of how most pieces of equipment are to be used in the correct and safe manner. I have been trained to use calibrated measurement arms to measure points on various test pieces to within 0.1 microns. Finally, I am able to put a data pack together to summarise the whole test and distil the important information into a format that can be understood by the customer.

What I Enjoy Most About the Social Aspect

The social aspects of the induction period were a fantastic way to meet the other undergrads and make new friends - they were a great ice breaker when forming groups to live with for the year ahead.

Estefania Besga

I did my placement at Symantec, in Reading. I should say that this was my first ever job and it was nothing like what I had expected. To be honest I didn't know what to expect.

I worked in the Engineering Support department on a product called Enterprise Vault. We were the liaison between technical customer support and the developers. My main duties involved defect reproduction - I had to set up an environment sufficiently similar to the customers to reproduce the issue they had, and analyse it for possible causes and solutions. I went from knowing nothing to knowing my way around Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server, as well as Windows Server administration and domain and network setup and maintenance. I was treated like any other employee and given plenty of responsibility both in technical (I worked on several high-priority, urgent cases) and administrative things (including arranging meetings for one of my managers and sending out emails to other managers and directors on her behalf).

The people were amazing. There was lots of laughter and jokes (and no dress code!), but everyone's work ethic made you want to work more because people cared about what they were doing and you could see they wanted to get it done, and not just because they had to.

It was a great experience and I learned a lot from it. I would definitely recommend a placement to everyone, as you have little to lose and much to gain.

Kiroulus Abadir

I have had an incredible experience at Vickers - so much so, that I stayed for an extra three months! When I began my placement at Vickers I knew that I would have to work hard to benefit from it; some of the tasks I was given to begin with were quite straightforward, but as time went on, and I proved myself, I was given much more responsibility.

I was given plenty of opportunity to go to various courts, and to clerk for counsel. My first hearing was expected to last for five days at Isleworth Crown Court; it went on for ten! Following this, I was asked to attend other Crown Courts to take notes for counsel and update the solicitor responsible for the case. At times I was asked questions by counsel which I needed to know the answer to. I learned to always read the case and be prepared for anything. I had the opportunity to attend hearings at the Court of Appeal, the High Court and at the Principal Registry for family law matters.

I had plenty of opportunity to visit clients in prison and take instructions from them. I was responsible for a client I visited in prison and needed to know their case inside-out. I had to draft a brief to counsel, select my own counsel to instruct and to take conduct, with the help of the senior partner. I also had to instruct a psychiatrist to make a report. It was great to see some of the theory I learnt in my first year of Criminal Law put into practice. I also had the opportunity to meet clients in the office and have conferences with them.

I was given a lot of responsibility at Vickers and plenty of legal experience; my time there has been very fruitful. It was very hard work! It has given me an insight into what work is like for a high street firm and showed me the difference between the roles of barrister and solicitor. Having this information gives me the opportunity to make a clear cut decision as to which career I wish to pursue.

Domas Zinkevicius

Student placement – this is most interesting activity I ever done.

I have to confess. During my second year of the Motorsport Engineering studies I thought that I do not need a placement year. I had some experience working as race mechanic so I was feeling confident that I will not get anything more valuable and gap year will be waste of time.

I have to admit I was wrong. At the end of summer somehow I decided to apply for a placement. There were not many places to choose from. However, I have found one which sounded interesting - Product Endurance and Validation in Delphi Diesel Systems. The name of position did not tell me much, but I heard from third year students that this position is about testing new design products and checking their performance. When I went to interview with an employer I knew that to show that I am suitable for this job is just one side. I felt that most important for me is to see if the job interesting, if it’s challenging and most important if I want to do it.

I was impressed when I saw future diesel injection components of such manufacturers as Daimler, Volkswagen and etc on the test rigs. The engineers were very kind to me and gave answers to all my questions. They spent quite long time showing everything in detail. I started my placement two weeks before start of my final year.

In the first month I was introduced to many people, the work environment, health and safety rules and etc. Second month I have learned details of test rigs calibration and operate some data logging equipment. As well as that I have learned much about sensors and transducers and other measuring equipment. Third month I started to feel more like an employee rather than a student. I have started to apply my gained skills in everyday work. At some point all my activities settled down and everything started to look a bit boring. However, I kept showing interest in learning more. My supervisor noticed that and introduced me to a new project.

At the moment I’m working on a new design of an “A” frame. This “A” frame will be used to mount test diesel pumps on the test rigs. The project became quite wide because the ”A” frame has to accommodate many different types of equipment and has to fit every rig. I was lucky to come up with some ideas for new design of a device for torque and side load measurements on the pump. The project is very interesting for me because I have to apply knowledge from previous course: how to manage design process, calculate static and dynamic loads and choose appropriate materials. I am very excited because next month we plan to manufacture mock-up of my device, so everything what is in Solid Works at the moment will become real things.

I would recommend placement for every student because it is very good experience. It is very good to be a student because nobody expects too much from you. However you have equal right to propose your ideas. Sometimes students are very valuable for companies because they have fresh knowledge and new ideas. As well as that they not as busy as regular employees and are able to do different kind of research. It is very good experience for students to get more practical knowledge, to see how things are happening in real life. As well as that learn to manage your managers and co-workers.

I wish everyone not to be afraid of challenges and go forward in biggest steps you can.

Good Luck!

Domas Zinkevicius

Richard Watson

Close up of Turbine Blades that we typically do investigations on

I had always been told that engineering was an international career but until last June I never really believed it. In January 2009 I was actively engaged in the frantic struggle that is applying for a year in industry. When the suggestion of working in Switzerland for an engineering company I hadn’t up until that point of time ever heard of, I really wasn’t sure it was for me. I could only speak one language fluently (though I had dabbled in German at GCSE), I’d never really lived far from home, the job description mentioned it was a materials engineering based position and being a Mechanical Engineering student and I wasn’t even confident that I would get the job. However I did get the job and it has so far been the best experience of my life!

Perhaps I should explain about the job. I am currently employed by Alstom’s Power Division along with 5000 other people in their Rotor Factory in Birr Switzerland where they machine and assemble Gas turbine and Steam Turbine Rotors for use in industrial as well as commercial power generation. The scale of the factory is staggering, on my first day, already a little bewildered by arriving in a new country and trying to work out how to live here. I was taken on a factory tour where I was just astounded at the complexities and ingenious solutions involved in producing rotors that weigh between 90 – 150 metric tonnes! With my jaw still dragging along the ground I was promptly shown to the materials lab where I was to be working for the next 14 months.

Gas Turbine Rotor in Birr Factory

The job basically one of quality control and assessing worthiness of machined features through the destructive testing of Gas Turbine Blades and Vanes, put simply I get a turbine blade cut it up look at the pieces and tell the guys in the machining shop if they have done a good job or not on the batch of parts they have just produced. Now at first this doesn’t sound like a very complex job but I assure you it has its moments. For you to be able to do this job effectively you have to understand the processes that are used to produce these parts. This is so when you come across something that is out of specification you are able to offer some sort of explanation and help identify faults in and improve the manufacturing processes. You also have to learn a bit of material science in relation to Nickel super alloys used in manufacturing turbines. Alstom have been good at providing documents to read and people are always on hand and willing to explain things to you. It is a job where you have to work with and get on with a variety of people from other departments to achieve the same goal and you are treated as a normal employee and given the same responsibilities.

Language is not really an issue either, the company language is English and most people in the factory (and in Switzerland in general) have good English skills. Failing that, you can always resort to pointing and waving madly until you are understood! There are also plenty of other English speaking immigrants dotted around as well (I have met people from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, USA, Australia, India and more who also include some ex Brunel students!), who are always happy to help out and give you advise on living and working in Switzerland. I am also starting to pick up and understand German though be warned the Swiss don’t speak the ‘High’ German you learn in school they speak Swiss German and the only analogy I can come up with its like a someone going to Glasgow to learn English!

Alpine Mountain Biking!

Of course this Placement isn’t just about the job, Switzerland is a remarkable country in itself and is an absolute Mecca for mountain sports enthusiasts (such as myself) but the stunning landscape and relaxed life style can be enjoyed by everyone. In the summer activities range from hiking, mountaineering, mountain biking to just simply relaxing by lake Zurich in the sun and having a few beers (yes this country actually gets a summer!). Winter enables you to participate in winter activities such as Skiing, Snowboarding, Sledging or even just to take a ski lift up to a mountain hut to have a cheese fondue whilst looking out at a stunning panorama of the snow covered Bernese Alps.

At the time of writing this I am about 8 months into my placement and will thoroughly recommend it to anyone. It might not be as technical and relevant as some mechanical engineering placements but it gives you an insight and knowledge into the manufacturing side of large-scale engineering projects and enables you to see the bigger picture. It is also an opportunity to network and get useful contacts in a prestigious international engineering company that could potentially get you a permanent job after University!

George Glancy

I have now been in South Africa for just over a month and it’s been great so far; the weather is hot and very windy! I have been working for a man called Nigel Cornfield, the owner of Cornfield Construction. He’s around 70 and been in the engineering world for over 40 years, first working for a engineering company, then starting his own business. Cornfield Construction has around 12 fulltime staff; 8 are site agents and representative engineer to Mr Cornfield.

I currently work at three different sites; each are all different and pose new exciting tasks. Michel’s Plain is a place where there isn’t much money and thus a lot of people don’t live in proper housing; most live in shacks. Built from scrap, the houses don’t have any running water, electricity or utilities. Where I work is on a sandy desolate unused area, where there is little vegetation. The work includes 4 area phases that break down the total area, which is normal practice in these types of projects. At this point the project is up to trenching out the sewage pipes, house connections, storm water piping and surveying out the entire area.

Grabouw is similar in the work, although the area is middle class, and is a beautiful place with lots of picturesque views. The area is predominately farm related; it’s actually the area where Appletizer is founded. My role is to write up dilapidation reports: these reports are for existing houses for the work that needs to be done, such as trenching, sewage pipe laying, relaying the roads, vibration compacting. Due to the nature of the work, there may be damage to the houses, so I go to each house and carry out a report for existing features, like cracks and structural damage. I then produce a report so the company doesn’t get a bill for something they didn’t do.

Philippi is where the office is based and where I started my first few weeks, until l I was prepared for on- site activities. The office has 4 based workers all taking the different roles; Nigel (Owner, Head Engineer) Gerrit (Head Site Officer), Ingrid (Accounts and Receptionist) and Thaabit (Finance and Accounts). In those first weeks I would assist whoever needed help, no matter what the work! Even accounts, so I learned a lot there.

Socially I have fitted in well, made a bunch of new friends and have begun to visit the tourist stuff and see Table Mountain!

December 7, 2009

My idea of a placement was that it’s not what I needed after going through 2 years of fun at university to then having to get up early, working to deadlines and having a boss that’s going to be on my back! It’s also the reason I went to SA as I wanted the life experience that came with living in a country by myself and coping with all the problems of life. The cultural aspect of being in a city like Cape Town is that it’s rife with history, interesting people and with countless outdoor activities that make any weekend something worthwhile. Although I said about the negatives of working life, I had to think about my future and what I needed to do in order to move in the right direction after I leave university. I knew that going away and looking for something (even out of the box, like going to SA) that ticked the boxes of my needs would prove better than sending countless CV’s (even though I sent many) away and hoping to chase those who had even got my cv. I had to wait a long time before I got any response and that really made me worry, but I had faith.

It’s hard to explain, for me I wanted the excitement with a placement and moving away to a country like SA gave me the opportunities that I really don’t think I could have gotten in the UK, like supervising authority, getting 1 on 1 chats with owners of local business’s and having the freedom to work at any site I wish if it interested me.

Work

This month I had worked at Michel’s Plain, this sites was really getting ahead of Grabouw and so I wanted to see how things were shaping up, since I first got to the site there had been serious development, sewage, storm water, house connections, water pipe connections, road 1 and road 2 layouts was complete and sub-base had been laid, with curbs being planted and curves being laid out ready for the base layer.

So much happening and it’s great to be part of it all as I’m working closely with the head of site, head surveyor and had some chats the with engineer who designed the project. I have also worked with the Cape Town City Council in regards to the existing connections and problems, I have to then write up a report and present it to Nigel.

Since its December I’m nearing the end of the year and thus the work is slowing winding down and getting ready for the preparations for next year.

Kiroulus Abadir

My time at Matrix Chambers was both intellectually stimulating and challenging, giving me the opportunity to develop my legal research skills and also to gain an insight into a career at the Bar.

My core role was to create summaries of legal news and add them to the Matrix On-Line Resource. I was given 5 areas of law; criminal, prison, education, health and sport. The Legal Information Team had access to a wide range of legal databases to provide Matrix Members with the most up to date information.

Another of my responsibilities was to deal with barristers’ queries via email. As part of the team monitoring the inbox, I was involved in dealing with simple bundle requests, through to more complex requests e.g. Pepper v Hart research. I was also given the opportunity to make Freedom of Information requests. This part of the placement provided me with exposure to new areas of law, giving me the opportunity to have an idea of what pursuing a career in law might bring.

The third area my team focused on was bundling. The Legal Information Team at Matrix asked that bundle requests were given with 48 hours notice. This rarely happened and we would often get a bundle request at 9am due in court at 10.30; such requests gave me the opportunity to develop my skills in dealing with a stressful situation. The pressurised environment tested the team’s skills in how quickly we could find certain authorities.

One of the benefits of being on placement at Matrix Chambers was the exposure I had to well respected members of the Bar and I had an opportunity to shadow some, including Rabinder Singh QC and Janet Kentridge in a Court of Appeal hearing.

Overall, my time at Matrix was excellent – the legal and administrative skills I developed will be used in the future in both my studies and employment.

James Price

I am currently on placement at Apex Circuit Design for a year in between my 3rd and final year at university. Apex is a world leader in the design of motorsports destinations, priding itself on developing engaging race circuits which make the most of any site topography to make the experience of driving the circuit a more engaging experience.

Apex also prides itself on producing motorsport facility designs which are financially sustainable by always taking the profitability of any aspect of a race facility into consideration and by integrating the design of a race circuit into a larger master planning scheme. This will include other facilities (motorsport or non-motorsport) which will help ensure the financial sustainability of any development.

I started working for Apex Circuit Design on 1st June 2009 and in the three months since my employment commenced I have been involved in a number of interesting and varying activities; these involve going on visits to “BRDsim” and “Wirth simulations” to investigate better ways to simulate our circuit designs. I also had the opportunity to take my ARDS driving test along with other employees which involved driving a Lotus Exige around Silverstone under supervision from a professional racing driver - I passed my practical and theory!

I have been assigned a project for my year at Apex which can also be carried forward into my final year at university. This project is to look into improving the current speed and run off simulator at Apex by refining the input parameters and including vertical changes to the circuit such as banking, cresting, dipping and gradient. Since I started I have been involved in a number of different projects which are at different stages, from initial proposal to detailed design and FIA homologation submission.

In summation my first three months in employment have been very exiting and challenging, allowing me to apply myself to a number of tasks and apply some of the skills I have learnt at university to real tasks, which certainly brings about a greater understanding.

PS: I get my own business cards with my name and “Design Engineer” on which is rather cool!

PPS: Money is also good to have!

Update

I have now been at Apex for nearly six months and have gained a wide variety of experiences: These range from initial communications with prospective customers and the winning of business to the compilation of a homologation dossier for the FIA.

During my time at Apex I have had the opportunity to travel abroad on two different trips. The first of these trips was a master planning workshop for the design of a grade 2 circuit. The second trip I have been on was a trip to Cologne to the “Professional Motorsport World Expo” where I had the opportunity to meet a lot of very clever, very rich and very important people from within the world of motorsport.

My main personal achievements since my previous blog have been in the development of the Apex circuit simulator. This is a tool used by Apex to generate a speed trace of a CAD designed circuit and to generate runoff fans to assist in the design of runoff areas.

I have been developing the MatLab code within the simulator to provide more useful data for the user. These developments include coding which identifies braking areas and code which illustrates peaks of curvature on a racing line to help the designer refine their racing line.

Apart from the current simulator, I have been developing an entirely new simulator based around slightly different principals. This new simulator is initially being designed to simulate karts but once it has been tested and verified it will be used to simulate car circuits also.

At Apex I have also had the opportunity to liaise with professionals from around the world from countries such as USA, Romania and France.

To summarise my relatively short time at Apex, I have been exposed to a very wide range of engineering skills, from the more academic application of the development of the simulator to the art of gaining business and working with a wide variety of different people.

Update

The upcoming year is likely to be a very exiting one at Apex as we are beginning the first projects of twelve this year which we have gained through becoming the FIA Institute Facility Advisory Partner.

This is part of a program where 12 projects per year are granted up to € 200,000 for the development of new sites or the redevelopment of current sites. As the facility advisory partner Apex will be working on the design of all of these projects along with the projects we gain through other sources. Because of this, my last 6 months at Apex should be very busy, exiting and hopefully with some more opportunities to work abroad.

Another very exiting development for my placement is my part time role at Carlin F3 as a Data Analyst. This job puts me within a top class professional race team competing in the British F3 championship which will visit a number of great circuits such as Silverstone, Spa, Hockenhiem and Oulton Park.

This opportunity was created when I reasoned that if we were able to gain a better understanding of how data was gathered we would be able to create better vehicle models for our simulator. My idea was agreed and supported by Apex and through Apex’s contacts the arrangement was made.

This arrangement with Carlin F3 has added great depth to my placement experience and has added an entirely new dimension to the skills I have developed.

Necip Ozkan

I chose Brunel as my first choice because it ticked every box that I was looking for in a university – it’s situated on a clean and stylish campus; it’s in London; it has a very good reputation in producing strong economics graduates and it offers economics students the opportunity to go on a work placement in the penultimate year of their studies.

Three years on and I’m thoroughly enjoying my time here. After successfully completing my first two years of studies, I recently finished a year-long placement at HM Treasury, which was a fantastic experience. I worked as an economist in the European Economics team and was given many responsibilities. As well as providing regular briefings for the Prime Minister and Chancellor (whom I also had the opportunity to meet), I was also given the role as the team’s housing market expert. This enabled me to produce high level research on the topic and I also had the opportunity to present to an audience. The year’s work experience was hugely beneficial as it gave me the opportunity to implement and develop many core skills in a very high profile institution. At the same time, I was gaining first hand experience in a field that genuinely interested me. Now that I’ve had a taste of it, I’m seriously considering it as a career path.

Overall, the opportunity to undertake a placement separates Brunel from most other universities in London. Brunel’s specialist Placement and Careers Centre (PCC) has very strong links with prospective employers and this can only be beneficial from a student’s perspective. I would certainly recommend Brunel to anybody considering it.

Chris Andrews

Hi guys. My name is Chris Andrews and I am currently working for Harmill Systems Ltd in Leighton Buzzard.

I’ve been here for a little over 7 months now and couldn’t be happier. It was a big move to start with as I had to re-locate. I’d never lived away from home, as Brunel is only round the corner from my original home. But moving was far from complicated and it’s been a good experience so far living independently. The guys here also made it easy to settle with endless banter and winding each other up. I’m currently referred to as “Sarg” due to being a sergeant in the ATC. I’m studying Aerospace Engineering and want to go into the design field of engineering. Harmill offered a placement in the field that I want to enter professionally.

At university, you don’t get to do much real life design. But on placement, I’m in the thick of it, which I wasn’t expecting. It is very much a mechanical engineering placement and gives you tonnes of experience with real life engineering scenarios. It also enhances your attention to detail. A lot of the equipment produced is for lifting applications, and you need to give the equipment a detailed stress analysis to make sure it isn’t going to fail.

Before you read on, a Harmill placement is by no means an office job. I’m out at different sites at least twice a week and sometimes working until 1am in the morning. Yes 1 am, and getting back up the next day at 6am to start all over again! Students be warned, this isn’t a job for layabouts who spend all night on the PS3 and can’t get up in the morning!

And believe it or not, Harmill keeps bigger companies running such Martin Baker, Goodrich Power Systems, Airbus and The London Underground. When I go out on site, I visit these places.

There are two sides to Harmill; design and manufacture of lifting equipment and one off designs to anyone who wants our help, and the maintenance contract side. This is where Harmill goes out and maintains air handling systems, any form of machinery known to man, and designing new factory appliances to better their output, or increase their efficiency in energy consumption.

If you like getting your hands dirty, as well as learning how to become a professional engineer, this is the placement for you. I’ve got the support I need around me for any questions that I have and these guys I work with are smart! They’ve been in this field for a long time, and the Manager has been involved with engineering since he was an apprentice at 16. I don’t want to say how long he’s been involved, but he’s got a lot of knowledge in almost every discipline of engineering.

I was told on my first day that I would be dropped in the deep end, and wouldn’t be making cups of tea for everyone and sweeping the floor. I couldn’t agree more.
I started by learning how to use the design software packages such as AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor. Whilst doing so, I started producing drawings and 3D models to help out the other designers. I soon picked up more advanced skills using the software with adequate help from the designers at Harmill and started doing full 3D models with drawings to match. It started with a simple sketch from a survey, which finished as being a fully working model on the computer, and then a real life model when the fabricators got their paws into it.

As expected, everything I produced was checked and at first everything I produced had to be altered due to getting it wrong basically. But now I’ve had some experience on achieving standards and what way to present a drawing for production, the drawings are rarely altered and given straight to the shop floor. This is a bonus for me because I now feel they can trust me to produce something, without having to nitpick through all the details with me.

A typical layout for one of the tools I'm working on

The design skills learnt progressed onto project management skills. Everything in engineering is a project, from the beginning to the end when it is commissioned. From a simple sketch or an idea, a final component has to be produced.

Harmill have a system in place to ensure that all aspects of quality are met, standards are met and all the relevant paperwork is in place. NOTE TO EVERYONE - ISO 9001 - IT IS TAKING OVER! Yes ISO 9001 is a quality management system which companies adhere to, to prove they are designing, building and testing everything in the correct way before it is commissioned.

Each company has a different way of handling ISO, but I am now completely clued up with it all. Because of this fact, I am now running my own projects from start to finish. Going out on site to survey a job is first then I come back to the office to put sketches / ideas on paper. I then model the idea in 3D, price it and quote it. If the idea is given the go ahead from the customer, then it all begins. The drawings are produced, and checked, then given to the factory to build. Once built, it is officially tested and given a test certificate. Stamped with its commissioning label, it’s sent to the customer, and we get paid! Just what a business wants.

For those who want some experience using machinery, there is also a chance to use the stuff in the factory. I’ve been producing control panels for Martin Baker aircraft, where I needed to drill and tap, grind, polish and build the panels. Then I learnt how to wire up the panels in line with the current electrical standards. I’m even learning how to do plumbing. I’m currently designing a unit to pump water around an air handling unit to recover heat from all of the rooms in Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). The boss and I are designing 13 of these units in partnership with two other companies, and if all goes well, could be a potentially worldwide appliance in every hospital. I have had to visit big corporate testing facilities in Bracknell to prove the efficiencies of these units. This was a must from GOSH and they couldn’t believe that we were recovering up to 90% of the heat from the room and re-using it to heat other rooms. This systems means that they will save shed loads of money and makes all the managers smile.

Above is a picture of the original design, tested and approved 4 months ago...

This computer model is the updated and more economised model with better efficiencies. It’s taken 4 months for this development, and it’s currently in production. It doesn’t look like much, but this little unit will save people hundreds of thousands of pounds. It was my manager’s idea, with nearly the entire unit modelled by me. Every component you see had to be computer generated and I wouldn’t have had the first clue how to do it 6 months ago.

Anyway, if you’ve got this far, I have blabbed on long enough….

Harmill, definitely worth considering!!

Valerio Tomasso

Firstly, I apologise for the length of this blog. However, I will be writing about what I wish I had read before my application process!

My placement application journey began exactly a year ago. I knew that my second year of university would be more challenging than the first; hence I decided to get a head start on working on my CV. I have used various websites dedicated to placements to create my "companies to apply to" list, which featured twenty or so companies!

Before placement applications were even open I decided to pop into the Placement Office to get some help with my CV. I need to say that they were vital in pointing out to me what information to display and how to highlight my skills as much as possible. On my first day of work, my manager, who interviewed me at the assessment centre, was still able to recall my CV! I have used the Placement Office regularly throughout the year to check all my applications before sending them. They always managed to make suggestions or add improvements, which really made a difference.

In February, following over ten applications and two or three rejections, I had started to lose hope of getting a placement! However, in the span of two weeks, I managed to obtain interviews at three of my 'dream' companies. Rolls-Royce was the first one to invite me and I was asked to go to an assessment centre in Derby. I went through two tests, one presentation, two interviews, and a group activity. I can say I wasn't too worried about the whole process, as I was convinced of not getting the job! I definitely did not shine in all the tasks on the day. My analytical test went horribly wrong; however, my technical interview went quite well and I managed to score higher than average on the logic test. I now realize I should have researched more about Rolls-Royce as a company, its sectors, and projects. I thought of the day as an excellent experience; it turned out to be proof that you don't need to shine in all the tasks of the day to be successful!

The day after my assessment, I was woken up by Rolls-Royce and was offered a position within the Manufacturing Technology Team in the Gas Supply Chain Unit. I had managed to impress one of the assessors who offered me a position in his team. At first I was a bit sceptical about the "Manufacturing" position; but this type of "Manufacturing" has nothing to do with what I have been lectured in at Brunel! It is definitely a dynamic and exciting field which is always striving for improvements and progress. I am currently working on a project dealing with Powder Manufacturing of parts and repair. I have also been working on parallel projects which have been aiming at making connection within the company, improving my confidence and understanding the company overall. They do really structure placements so that all students can grow and develop.

This is definitely going to be one of the best experiences of my life. It is the perfect occasion for me to make contacts and not only broaden my technical knowledge, but also expand my non-technical skills. One piece of advice I will give, however, is that you should apply for a company and a position you believe you will enjoy working in. You do not want to wake up in the morning and resent the idea of going to work.

I will definitely make the most out of this experience with Rolls-Royce, as the more effort I put in, the more doors I will open for my future. I realised that placement is not only an opportunity to gain experience in engineering; Rolls-Royce is keen on taking students back who have shined during their time at the company. Depending on their individual performance, they ask their interns whether they may be interested in additional summer placements or even to come back as graduates. Going into my final year with a secured graduate job could make quite a difference.

Mandeep Arora

How did you find it and what was the process?

The job was advertised by the PCC, I needed to hand my CV and fill in a basic form on Intel’s website. I was invited on an assessment day which involved a basic technical assessment, an interview and a 10 minute technical presentation related to Intel.

What did your role include?

I worked in the Desktop & Mobile team who are the first point of contact for any technical query from major European customers for Intel. This involved replicating issues on Intel’s desktop motherboards and CPUs. It also involved helping Intel’s call centre who deal with smaller/end users of Intel desktop products. For Intel’s mobile products, I was involved in setting up/testing the next generation platforms for Intel’s major European customers like HP and Fujitsu Siemens.

Would you recommend doing a placement?

Yes, definitely. It has been an amazing experience for me and I have learnt a lot from the year. It just gives you an experience of working in a team, taking decisions, presentation skills as well as an insight of a daily work routine.

How helpful was the service offered by the PCC?

The PCC was very helpful to me. They improved my CV, had regular advice sessions on job hunting and prepared me for my assessment day.

What advice would you give to future placement students?

Apply early as all big companies are looking to take on the best students. It is worth the experience and there is always a good chance of you getting a graduate job at the company where you do your placement.

Anurag Gupta

How did you find it and what was the process?

We have a 13 month internship program at Intel and to be honest it has been quite a good experience. The first 4-6 weeks of the placement is training, majority of which is done by the intern you are replacing after which you inherit all your previous intern’s responsibilities and carry on from there. The work environment is quite friendly and laidback, you are given space to get on with your work. As Intel is such a big company there are number of opportunities available within Intel so that you can get a feel of how things work in others groups. Intel also tries its best to meet with the expectations of interns, so if there something you feel you are good at or would like to work on then efforts can be made to make that possible. There is an Intern development plan at Intel and the work routines for interns are set keeping that in mind.

What did your role include?

I am an EMC Test Engineer at Intel and work in the Engineering Services department. It is more of a tech support kind of role. Basically all Intel customers who buy processors and motherboards from Intel integrate them into systems and we test those systems for EMC (Electromagnetic) Compliance so as they can achieve the CE mark. This is a legal requirement set by the European commission under which any electronics product has to be tested for the CE mark before being sold into the market. It is my job to assist Intel customers in designing PCs that are electromagnetically compatible and then test those systems for EMC compliance.

Would you recommend doing a placement?

Yes I would highly recommend it. The positives of doing a placement outweigh the negatives. The whole point is to get an exposure of how the industry works and it is a very good trial process in my opinion as you get a an idea of what kind of job you would want to do in the future and having a year's work experience on your CV has a very big say in you getting a graduate job. There are times when your pay for your graduate job can be higher depending on whether you have work experience or not.

How helpful was the service offered by the PCC?

They were very helpful throughout the whole process, I got excellent help in preparing my CV and in preparing for the interview, they even put me in touch with people who had been on placement at Intel before so that was quite good. It is always good to have a third opinion when you are submitting your applications and that’s where the PCC was quite helpful as they have a very good understanding of how the whole hiring process works in industry.

What advice would you give to future placement students?

Well if you have got a placement, trust me you are going love it. At the end of the year I can guarantee you that you will come out as a different person and will have a better knowledge of how you want to shape your career, being in university can be quite bookish however the industry works in a much different manner and that’s something that cannot be taught you have to go and experience it.

Joanne Wilson

I worked for Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office in central London. The organisation is broken down into five case work divisions, including a SOCA (Serious and Organised Crimes Agency) team, a team based in Manchester, and a team that is highly qualified in Confiscation of the proceeds of crime. We also cover areas such as Tax and VAT fraud.

I was lucky enough to be offered a position in my preferred division which primarily dealt with UK Border Agency work, including the prosecution of cases concerning drugs and firearms illegally coming through UK ports. This means that we work very closely with HM Revenue and Customs officers from Dover, Gatwick and Heathrow, as well as many other ports around the country.

I was a Case Manager and had responsibility - under supervision - for specific aspects of the cases from the moment they came into the office (usually immediately after a defendant’s first appearance at the Magistrates’ Court) right up until the defendant either plead guilty or went to trial. This role involved being in contact with the investigating officers, the defence firm and the court. Later on in the case this also meant briefing counsel and in some case holding conferences with counsel, either in the office or at chambers.

It was my responsibility to make sure that the defence and Court received the case papers and that the lawyer was kept up to date. It was also my job to record the results of each hearing and make sure the in house advocate knew what was happening for the following hearing.

While at RCPO I had the opportunity to draft indictments and other documents that went before a Crown Court Judge. I have also attended court for both trials and other smaller hearings. It was usually a case manager’s responsibility to attend all the key hearing for their own cases and there was plenty of opportunity to cover other colleagues’ cases if so desired. I was also involved in meetings in which the decision to prosecute an individual under investigation was made.

I have had the opportunity to meet many barristers both in Court and in the office. These relationships have enabled me to get a mini-pupillage at two London barristers’ chambers. I do not believe I would have achieved this so easily without the aid of my placement at RCPO.

I have witnessed the beginning of the newly announced merger of RCPO with the CPS and have been able to see what the new face of HMRC and Border agency work will be like. This has given me greater understanding of governmental structure and how departments function both separately and together.

Over all, my time at RCPO has been highly beneficial to me in giving me a greater understanding of the prosecution system, but more so in focusing me for my future career at the Bar.

Yeeting (Karen Cheng)

Having completed an industrial placement at the Derivative Operations division of Goldman Sachs, I truly felt that the 1 year spent was one of the most challenging and rewarding times of my life. The amount of professional skills and technical knowledge that I acquired throughout the year is priceless. On my very first day, I was put on a call with a client, and given significant amount of ownership in internal and external projects. I worked shoulder-to-shoulder with various departments across the firm, and across different time zones. Outside of my day to day work, I delivered a range of training schemes to members of my team as well as attended a variety of firm wide conferences. The derivative business is very fast paced hence it requires me to be responsive to both the client and my internal team. I am constantly on the phone, managing client inquiries as well as resolving and improving trade flows with my internal departments. All in all, it would be virtually impossible to fully describe what I did on a daily basis as everyday was filled with variety.

After completing my year at GS, the firm offered me a full-time position upon graduation as well as training in New York. From an International student perspective, it is apparent that an industrial placement really does make a huge difference and that is why I chose Brunel.

Aiste

I have not noticed how fast the time has passed since I started my placement in the middle of June. I believe it is because of all the new activities, habits and environment I had to familiarise myself with.

It was very nice to meet a number of professional people working at UBS whose friendliness and support helped me to settle in the new environment very quickly.

The first month at UBS was full of training that greatly contributed to my confidence and understanding of the Finance industry as a whole. We had a range of introductory meetings with other teams telling us about their business area and clients which helped to complete a broad picture of different functions in the business and how they interact. We also had external training on investment management as well as workshops on Thomson Reuters databases, Bloomberg platform, and specific programmes. Another huge advantage of my placement is the Investment Administration Qualification which is sponsored by UBS. It gave me an essential understanding of how the industry functions and introduced me to the various financial instruments. It was useful to pass the exam early and start applying the knowledge at work. I was awarded a certificate of my first professional qualification.

I am now responsible for assisting with marketing campaigns and collecting information from financial databases in order to build competitor analysis and reports. The role also includes liaising with sales team and fund managers to understand their needs and tailor effective presentations under tight deadlines. Other ad-hoc activities include producing and updating marketing material and individual reports for financial intermediaries on a regular basis. I am still learning something new every day as I perform my duties. I feel productive at work and it makes Monday to Friday go by so quickly.

It is sometime hard to realise the fact that I have not even graduated from a university yet but am already working at a global firm among industry’s best skilled professionals. Placement is an exciting opportunity to get an invaluable experience before starting the competition for graduate jobs.

Dillan

At Heinz I have been encouraged to develop my skills and understandings by going on training courses, and by being given responsibility and ownership of several projects. Although you own your project, the staff at Heinz are very supportive and will help you succeed in reaching your goals.

Through my placement I have been able to apply and understand the theory I have learnt at university and this will be invaluable for my final year.

Elizabeth Smith

During my 11 month placement, I worked at Servier Research and Development Ltd, which is a pharmaceutical company based in Wexham, Slough. I worked as a trainee research associate in the Pharmacokinetics group. The purpose of Pharmacokinetics is to study what a drug becomes in the body; this consists of absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME) of the drug. Pharmacokinetic studies consist of performing blood sampling at different time-points after administration of a drug and producing a safety profile.

The main roles of the Pharmacokinetic group are to support non-clinical toxicology and safety pharmacology studies. This comprises two steps; firstly, quantitative determination of the compound in in vitro and in vivo samples (plasma, urine, bile); and secondly, interpretation and reporting of the data. The objective of pre-clinical Toxicokinetic studies is to correlate a plasma exposure to adverse effects. The later studies are performed in parallel to clinical drug development (Phase I to Phase III).

Overall my experiences at Servier were excellent; I have gained a lot of knowledge in the field on bioanalysis and also personal skills. Time management and planning were extremely important as when working on many different studies at one time it can be difficult to organise time effectively in order to meet deadlines. As well as transferable skills, specialist skills were also learnt in the laboratory. I was taught how to use instruments such as UPLC, Mass Spectrometer, balances, PH meters, SPE & protein precipitation plates, vacuum boxes and centrifuges. Alongside this there were training courses in all relevant topic areas, for example all the inner workings of a mass spectrometer and which columns to use for the UPLC. This knowledge would be invaluable if I were to work in bioanalysis in the future.

Sannah Khan

This is exactly what I was looking for!!!

I started my Placement with Xerox in June; so far my placement experience has been absolutely amazing. I have learnt lots about the real world. How important decisions are made and how important my work really is! Here, at Xerox I get to do real work with real responsibilities.

My manager and the team that I work with have been really friendly and supportive despite how challenging work has been at times. My role can be demanding sometimes but this is balanced with strong support networks and a great social environment.

I have worked individually as well as in a team environment. My role has allowed me to gain valuable team working, communication, presentation, analytical and problem solving skills. I feel that my professional confidence and credibility has been greatly boosted.

I was motivated to apply to Xerox because the industrial Placement Scheme that they provide is highly respected and is designed to give students support, development opportunities and maximum exposure to corporate environment.

It all started when I went to the PCC for help with my CV. At the PCC everyone was really helpful and approachable. I was given all the confidence and support that I needed. I also got help with my application form as well as interview.

At Xerox I have developed my skills to an extent that I had not imagined. I have become even more responsible, punctual, enthusiastic and efficient. I have not only developed my professional skills but feel that I have grown as a person too.

Work experience is really beneficial with a degree in this fierce competition for graduate jobs. I would recommend a placement to all students as the experience gained is invaluable. Also make most of the PCC as they are there to help and support us till the end!

I feel that after my placement I will be going back to university as a new person!!!

Alex Finn

After attending placement lectures hosted by the PCC the idea of a placement began to appeal to me. Here was the chance to gain industry experience, build some contacts and decide whether I want to work in a particular area.

How did you find it and what was the process?

I found my placement at Renesas through the PCC website. I started applying for jobs quite late in the year, all the while thinking that most of the good jobs would be gone, but to my amazement there were interesting jobs still available. The process involved numerous emails and visits to my careers advisor to perfect my CV and covering letter. I found the job hunting videos particularly helpful as they showed real interview scenarios, what to do, what not to do etc. I selected the roles most interesting to me, and my Placement Officer sent my CV and covering letter to the relevant companies. A few weeks later I received replies, and was fortunate enough to be called for interviews from various companies. My interview experiences were all positive and I learned so much from them such as how to conduct myself. This is where a firm yet gentle handshake with good eye contact comes in handy!

For Renesas I completed an extra form in which I had to detail evidence of certain competencies such as communication skills and team working ability. The actual interview at Renesas was split into two parts. One was with HR where I discussed my competencies and the other was with the head of Automotive Engineering who quizzed me on my CV and asked technical questions. One word of advice, if you put certain skills on your CV make sure you can back them up because you will be asked about them.

What did your role include?

My title was Student Engineer and I was placed with the Automotive Group. I started at a time when the Engineering Department were at the initial stages of designing an automated test system. This meant I had a chance to experience the processes involved at the start of a project. I was given the responsibility of developing the software and hardware based prototype of the Test Measurement and Capture System which would determine the feasibility of the project.

Although challenging, I enjoyed the work and was given all the help and support I needed. My supervisor and colleagues were particularly experienced in their roles, so none of my questions went unanswered. They always took time to assist me if I needed it which I found reassuring. Further work sprouted from this project and I ended up designing graphical interfaces, writing software, documenting my work for future engineers and attending meeting with various head of departments. At this stage I felt more like an integral member of the team and less like a student engineer. Before my placement was over, I was offered an extension on my contract and even on my last day I was busy solving technical problems! This goes to show that there is always work available if you show enthusiasm for the role.

It was not all work work work though. The company organised various gatherings for colleagues to get to know one another. My favourite event was the weekly football tournament amongst engineers. This is one area where the vitality and vigour of students is fully appreciated! It is no surprise that the team with more students won games!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Renesas and would jump at the opportunity to do it all again.

Would you recommend doing a placement?

Yes. You find that after completing a placement you begin to think about the wider picture and you come back to university with the drive and motivation to achieve more. It is an excellent way to boost your CV and to show employers that not only are you a well rounded individual with the academic ability but you are also highly employable.

How helpful was the service offered by the PCC?

The PCC were extremely helpful. I am thankful to the staff who took time out to help and guide me. From the beginning I was given all the materials and advice to put together a successful application and to excel at the interview. It’s fair to say that without the enthusiasm and encouragement from the staff at the PCC I might have never considered a placement.

What advice would you give to future placement students?

If you have secured a placement, congratulations, you are going to learn so much about yourself and the real world in one year. You will come out a better person at the end, with a wealth of experiences to show on your CV.

If you are considering applying, please do. The Placement Team are experts at their jobs and will guide you from the initial stages of your application, right through to the end of your placement.

Contact details: alexfinn@live.co.uk

Mihir

Matt Brown, Senior Business Analyst at Virgin Trains tells us about taking on a placement student:

“Taking on a placement student has been a new experience for Virgin Trains, with Mihir the first of, hopefully many, through the door. The benefits have been there for all to see, both from the student’s point of view, and that of the company itself.

Within Virgin Trains, Mihir’s role has been working for the Business Analysis Team. This team looks at the revenue and volume performance of the company, and measures this against targets set internally, as well as benchmarks set by the rail industry as a whole.

Mihir has brought a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to the business, as well as a fresh perspective in looking at problems faced by the team and new ideas on how to take the business forward, borne out of the skills he has learnt on his degree course. ”Mihir, who is studying for a BSc in Mathematics and Statistics with Management had this to say “ Working for Virgin Trains has definitely been an eye-opener to the world of business, I’m more keen on taking on new challenges and the people here are great to work with!"

Nick Goodwin

One of the enhancements I'm working on

I have almost completed my first month of my placement at Airbus UK in Filton, Bristol. So far it has been a very steep learning curve getting up to speed with various projects. I am working on Future Projects and In-Service Developments in the Chief Engineers Team on the Single Aisle A320 which covers a broad range of subjects.

When I applied for this placement I really wasn’t expecting to get an interview, never mind get the placement because I didn’t think I was clever enough. I would therefore urge people who are applying for placements to apply for even the best ones irrespective of your grades. I think this achievement taught me that it’s not always the grades that get you the job, it’s often your personality during interviews. I chose to complete a placement because I was unsure whether I wanted to be a pilot or an engineer, working here at Airbus will no doubt give me the experience I need to make that decision.

The work I’m doing here at Airbus is all pre-launch projects and modifications that are occurring continually to the 4500+ A320’s we have in service. Therefore what I’m working on is quite commercially sensitive so I’m afraid I have to be vague! So far I have attended meetings with my boss in which colleagues from other departments present their work to a selection of people. Our role as Chief Engineers is to have a broad awareness on the whole project and ask questions to ensure the work satisfies the requirements sufficiently. I have also been involved with Requests for Work (RFW) which are sent to us from Airbus Central in Toulouse and requires us to briefly investigate and then to task the relevant engineering departments to complete the work in order to issue a service bulletin (SB) or progress a product enhancement. The RFW will usually be ordered because of a request from an airline or an in-service issue that has arisen and the SB will be the solution for the airline to implement.

My boss has told me that at some point this year he is aiming to take me to Toulouse to see the Final Assembly line (FAL) and the flight test aircraft. Also to Broughton to see the wings being built and I keep telling him that we should pay our A320’s in service in Hawaii but he’s having none of it!

Here’s to an exciting year!

Nick

Alex McGeoch

Fuel Systems Test Department

Hello! I work at the Airbus UK Filton site, where I work in the Fuel Test Department- specifically for the new A350. I began work here on 5th July (a Monday), where all new interns for this year received an induction.

This consisted of (predominantly) admin and HR material which, truth be told, was dull but necessary. The afternoon was another story; we received a site tour where we saw the A380 landing gear test rig, A400M wing assembly, composite research facility and, finally, the second Concorde ever built (based here at Filton).

My first week’s work was alot to take in, and in the evenings I fell asleep almost instantly! The most daunting thing was probably the acronyms, of which there are literally hundreds. I began actually working on projects as soon as Wednesday, where I was assigned to the Fuel Quantity Management System (FQMS).

Although throughout the year I would be working on the FQMS, my first task was fluid mechanical. I was required to re-design a ‘Clack Valve’; a non-return valve which allows fuel to flow back from the surge tank to the wing tank in the event of an overflow, but not vica versa. This is ongoing, but I hope to perform initial tests using a self designed rig tomorrow (15/7/10).

I have also been working on 2 other tasks. On 19th July, I am required to give a summary of the FQMS to the whole of the Fuel Systems Department. I’ll be doing this alongside a DEG (Direct Entry Graduate) who will be doing a presentation on water scavenge.

My final project is to produce a ‘New Start Guide’ for people like me, employees or sub-contractors that are new to the company. This is proving useful, as I have been constantly required to liaise with almost every other member of the department and it has given me a good insight into EVMUX. EVMUX is the department’s ‘siglum’: an identification code meaning the following:

EV- Engineering Test
M- Means
U- Fuel
X- Systems

It’s not only a working experience though, I have also been out several times with members of my department (the most memorable of which being last Wednesday, where we went out in central Bristol to watch the football). To summarise, I’d definitely recommend to anyone that a placement is the right option to take after your 2nd year.

Simon Williams

This is now the 10th week that I’ve done at Airbus. I have now really started to feel like I am being of some proper use to Airbus, as I have now started to understand the aircraft systems, and therefore hopefully don’t have to ask so many questions all the time! At the moment my role is helping to analyse and investigate different gauging methodologies as well as the accuracy for fuel quantity measurement, which have been given by the suppliers who are developing the fuel gauging system. I have attended quite a few meetings already between my manager for the FQMS team and the suppliers to discuss the different gauging techniques. It is really cool to be able to work alongside lead engineers within Airbus.

Some other great things have happened…

If I’m lucky, I should soon be going down to Seville to the FAL (Final Assembly Line) to help with some testing on the actual A400M.

We were also fortunate enough to have a Vulcan, and a Harrier do a fly-by and to see them within a 1000 feet!
We also one Saturday had an A380 come into Filton for the day which was amazing to see!

While on placement, I have managed to carry on with my dream which is flying! It really is amazing to be able to take off and land on such a huge runway as that of Filton’s. And to think that I am using the same runway that the A380 (the largest aircraft in the world) uses when it comes in is just so cool!

I am enjoying my placement very much! There is so much experience and knowledge that you can gain, and if you play your cards right there are so many opportunities that you can take advantage of as well (as long as you are prepared to look for them), including having a private group employee tour of the last Concorde that ever flew! Also, you can make a lot of contacts which could help later in coming back to the same company.

Third Month

This is my 14th week at Airbus. I have recently finished my task of investigating different gauging methodologies. After two months of working on this task I was asked to write a technical report outlining all the work that I had done. Through writing this report, although I already had a good grasp of Microsoft Word, I again managed to improve my abilities.

Since finishing this task, I have now moved onto something different. I am going to be working more closely with Airbus documents to enable me to better understand what are known as requirements documents. The plan is to gain a working knowledge and understanding of them so that I will be able to write a requirements document of my own soon.

The other day we managed to get out of the office for a few minutes as the all the Red Arrows came in to land at Filton for the night. It really was amazing to be able to see them all so close and without being at an air show. The formation take off really was truly amazing!

A couple of days ago, I had my longest meeting yet. We ended up being in this meeting for five hours with a five minute break in between! Being in a meeting for that long is fine if you know and understand everything that is being talked about, but when you are constantly trying to understand the details of the meeting with only a general knowledge of what is being said it ends up being really tiring!

Fourth Month

This is now my 17th week at Airbus. I have recently come back from a week in Seville, Spain. I was helping our FQMS (Fuel Quantity and Management Systems) team with GTRs (Ground Test Requirements) at the FAL (Final Assembly Line) for the A400M. This has been by far the highlight of my placement so far! Firstly, to see the actual aircraft before it flies and to work on it is just amazing. To think that I have taken part in testing on the second A400M aircraft ever to be built is really incredible. While I was there I managed to get a peak at the first A400M. What is even better is that the A400M should have its first flight during my placement.

Being at FAL really was so interesting as for a start it is huge. Also, I was able to see all the different stations that each MSN (Manufacturers Serial Number) will go through in its production process. Each station in itself is massive. While we were there, the weather was amazing, cloudless skies, and 32degrees most days from about 10am. It was really so nice. It was just the last day which was really bad as when it rains in Spain it really does rain torrentially! I also met lots of people of who work down in an office called the MAP office, which is basically the first point of contact for the people at Filton when discussions about the aircraft at the FAL take place.

When I was not helping with testing I took the opportunity to have a good look around MSN 2. The inside of this aircraft is huge. From the Airbus website, you can see for yourself that it is capable of transporting huge loads. For example, it can carry 116 paratroopers, or it can transport a transport helicopter. It can take 66 stretchers along with 25 medical personnel, or 125 stretchers with assistants. As well as this, the range, cruising speed and altitude are really good for a prop aircraft.

Apart from work, there was some time to go around Seville and explore. Seville is a really pretty city. There are lots of really good tapas restaurants. The two hotels that we stopped in were also really nice, was almost like being an exec! I am hoping that I may be able to get myself onto another trip to Seville.

Seventh Month

This is the end of my seventh month, and just over half way through my placement with Airbus. This last month I have been involved in a different task. I have been involved with updating what is known as a BITE database (Built In Test Equipment). This database holds all the different messages that could appear on the screens in the flight deck of the A400M. My task this time was update all these messages with pictures of what the pilot would see on the ECAM (Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitoring) screen in the cockpit. This meant I had to teach myself how to use a desktop fuel simulator simulation programme which is based on MATLAB.

For this task, I took each message from the BITE database and setup every single different scenario on the desktop simulator and then took a screen shot of the ECAM window (what the pilot sees) so that when all the pictures were taken, they could be put onto a main server and hence linked to each message on the BITE database.
This was a good task for me to do as it gave me a much greater understanding of exactly how the fuel systems for the A400M work, and also put into a much greater perspective all the testing work that I was involved in out in Sevilla.

After this, I had to then link different types of messages together. This meant taking a message for each individual pump or valve from the Unit Internal Fault Detection Specification (UIFDS) and linking it to the corresponding set of Flight Deck and Cabin Effects (FDCEs) of which there are usually quite a few. This took quite a while as there are many pumps and valves to go through.

Through doing this task, I have learnt a great deal about the fuel systems and just how much there is going on within all the computer systems, which some of it the pilot will not see as it just happens automatically.

However, the majority of the work that I do seems to involve excel spreadsheets in one way or another, which is good as it gives me a great deal of practice with excel, but the brain does need a rest every so often...

Another thing to mention is that I do feel very lucky and privileged that the first flight of the A400M just happened to coincide with being halfway through my placement. Also the first flight of MSN002 (the second aircraft) to fly in the near future, I feel very lucky to have worked on it before its maiden flight.

Eighth Month

This is now the end of my eighth month, I am almost three quarters through my placement with Airbus Military. During this last month, I have been following on from the work I was doing last month. This work involved the Built in Test Equipment Database or BITE Database. The BITE database holds all the different error messages that could appear on the aircraft.

After having completed the screen shot task, the next task was to take each Unit Internal Fault Detection Specification (UIFDS) error message and link it with the corresponding Flight Deck and Cabin Effect (FDCE), whether these were part of the Control and Display System (CDS), Flight Warning System (FWS), or Over Head Panel (OHP) or LOCAL. As well as doing the linking, I also had to find the relevant Boolean that makes the different error messages appear.

This exercise took a few weeks, as firstly there are many pumps and valves and many different FDCEs that can relate to each UIFDS. This task has really helped enormously in giving me a much greater understanding of how the fuel systems for the A400M operate and how many different components there are involved with the system.

Aside from work, while down here in Filton, due to another Intern friend of mine who is studying Aeronautical Systems Engineering at the University of West England (UWE), I have for the last seven months taken up a dormant interest of mine, which is rock climbing! I really am thoroughly enjoying it. Ironically, I didn’t touch the climbing wall at Brunel during the last three years, I come to Bristol and start climbing, better late than never!

Ninth Month

I am now three quarters the way through my placement in Filton with Airbus MILITARY. This last month has been quite busy again.

Two weeks ago the A400M fuel dept had a work experience student come for the week from one of the local schools. He was 14yrs old. It was delegated to me to have the responsibility to look after him for the week and to attempt to keep him busy and occupied. During the week I managed to keep him occupied and only in the office half the time to try and keep the interest in engineering alive (In fact so much so that one of the managers actually asked if he had done any work...). This involved me giving him a tour of the A400M Wing Assembly. I also took him to see the last ever Concorde to be built and last one to fly. I also managed to get him a tour of the A380 Landing Gear test rig.

Another morning, we had to go into a local school and do a Paper Plane Workshop. This just meant going into one of the local primary schools and talking to the kids about the four forces of flight, and then helping them to make paper aeroplanes followed by and paper plane competition. It is actually much more fun than it sounds!

Although I kept the work experience student out of the office half the time, he did actually do some work. I gave him a simple but fun task of validating the screen shots that I had made for all the different failure conditions for the fuel systems for the A400M. This involved me explaining the fuel systems to him and then showing him how to work the simulator. He then played around with it to familiarise himself with it so that he could undertake the task set.

As I said above, the paper plane workshops were surprisingly fun, (as well as the fact that it meant I was out of the office for a few hours...). The kids really enjoyed it as they were all running round screaming and chucking planes all over the place! I have never seen so many planes being thrown around at one time before! Not to mention the amount of times I was hit by stray paper planes.

If I manage to play my cards right, I should be going back down to Seville next week to help with some more ground testing on the A400M MSN003.

MSN001 has now down quite a bit of flying and is well on the way to success! It would just be nice to see it fly into Filton before the end of my placement