Industrial Placement Student in Power, Process and Nuclear Review

I work in the Power, Process and Nuclear Division of the Energy Unit and within the structures team. During my placement I have primarily been on the SMR-300 project and this originally entailed of using Eurocodes and previous GDA Submissions as well as Climate Tools to determine values for the Generic Site Envelope Report. I am now providing support on the project management side which involves conversing with the client and coordinating with our wider team.

I was given the opportunity to organise and support a week long placement for a high school student. My current work on the SMR-300 project involves supporting project management tasks and coordinating with the whole team and the client.

I have had the opportunity to work with SAP2000 which I had previously used in university coursework helping to develop my technical analysis skill further. I was also able to further develop my technical skills while using the Eurocodes and National Annexes to determine values for wind, temperature, snow and ice. A new skill from this was having to change the return period to be 1 in 10,000 years as this is needed for nuclear design. I have also had a chance to improve my report writing skills which will be instrumental in my next 2 years of university when completing my Individual Project and my Group Design Project.

My line manager has been incredibly supportive and very helpful in ensuring I am working on interesting things and getting to experience some different activities. The Southampton PPN team is relatively new and has allowed for all the new starts to support each other as we get to know the company. I have also had a really great buddy who has helped me to feel more comfortable in the office and is always there to support me when I need.

The Southampton Office has lots of friendly and welcoming people that I have gotten to know over my placement. There are plenty of activities and social events organised throughout the year which vary quite a bit to cater to all different types of people. In recent weeks I have gotten involved in the craft club which has been really fun. I have also had the opportunity to spend time in the Bristol office with our connected PPN team and have met lots of other graduates and ECPs.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement, from meeting and working with all different people to experiencing how an engineering company works on a day-to-day basis. It has been a great opportunity to put the work I have done in university into practice and understand what I still need to learn and work on in my final 2 years of university. It has been an invaluable experience that will impact how I view my degree and my career in the future.

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