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AWE

Manufacturing Engineer Review

at AWE

Placement (10 Months+)

Mechanical Engineering

Aldermaston

Review Submitted: January 2025

Overall Rating

4.6 /5

The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!

5/5 - Overview of Role
4.5/5 - Skills Development
5/5 - Support and Guidance
4.5/5 - Company Culture
4.5/5 - Overall Experience
5/5 - Future Career Prospects

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
Due to the nature of my role I'm not allowed to share much but my day to day involves using large programmes like Teamcentre and NX which deal with excel documents and 3D Models.
I shadow senior engineers within my office - attending meetings to develop my understanding of current tasks. I also collaborate with other undergraduates on our own projects during our time here - from setting up meetings to participating in group workshops.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
At first not a lot due to ongoing training that lasts for about a month. After which you do start being given more to handle. If you feel you can deal with more then just ask and senior employees around you will happily give you more development opportunities. I'm now a few months into my placement and I'm treated like any other employee with my team coming to me with new tasks.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
5/5

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
Absolutely. I've learnt a lot since I joined - namely my confidence has grown massively as my team supports me wherever they can. The tasks I'm given are manageable while still pushing me out of comfort zone with tasks like presenting, organising events etc.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
4/5

Support and Guidance

How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
Lots of support. Well above what most companies will provide - from initial guidance during the onboarding process to training and setting up accounts and then fitting in with the team. Even after months of being here, the support has never waned and everyone here just wants you to succeed and progress you further.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
5/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
5/5

Company Culture

What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
Very good. There are key behaviours like 'connect with respect' which are encouraged here and it helps everyone get along really well - I haven't met a single bad person here and my team especially are lovely. The culture also fosters good behaviour and health among all the employees - they recommend you take breaks and get up from your desk, have a walk and grab some food so you feel better and are more productive.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
4/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
4/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5

Overall Experience

To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I've enjoyed it very much. Its opened my eyes to what the working world is like and given me a nice first experience of it. I'm glad I joined here first as I doubt another company would have made the transition from university so easy. The work I'm given is meaningful and challenging and my colleagues make my day. I would want to come back here in the future.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
4/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5

Future Career Prospects

Please rate the future employment prospects at AWE
5/5

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend AWE to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to AWE
Be yourself. I fully believe the reason I got my placement was being myself. Be open with what you enjoy to make a connection with your assessors to show you would fit in here. If you've got a decent academic background, you want experience and are able to show it - I'm sure you'll be successful.
In This Review
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