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BAE Systems

Undergraduate Mechanical Engineer Review

at BAE Systems

Placement (10 Months+)

Mechanical Engineering

Portsmouth

Review Submitted: June 2025

Overall Rating

4.9 /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
5/5 - Skills Development
5/5 - Support and Guidance
4.8/5 - Company Culture
5/5 - Overall Experience
4/5 - Future Career Prospects

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
Everyday is different as we are an engineering team so it varies on what problems come to us from the project.
Providing technical solutions and assistance to problems.
Carry out surveys of the ships systems to report on integrity.
Produce engineering reports on any issues highlighted.
Use of CAD to produce engineering drawings to be sent for manufacture.
Attend meetings for defect boards and take and complete the assigned actions.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
I was given lots of responsibility. Once I was confident with the software, ship and people got to know I was here and my capabilities I found that I was given more responsibility and my manager felt confident to leave me to manage my own tasks.
I was understood on the boundary of what I could answer and what I should get assistance with from my managers which helped build trust within the team.
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?
Developed my technical skills such as; general mechanical system knowledge, ship understanding, report writing, understanding of manufacture methods and processes, problem solving, critical thinking, CAD and engineering drawing.
Improved on softer skills as I work with a varied team both white and blue collar as well as managing external contractors.
My confidence has grown as I have developed through the year especially when I ended it with a presentation in front of my line managers.
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?
5/5
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
5/5

Support and Guidance

How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
I worked within a team of three which I sat with in the office everyday so any questions I had I could get assistance with instantly. They have been very helpful with the integration in the team and teaching me the various aspects the role contains.
I spent a lot of time shadowing one of the engineers which helped me greatly when I started.
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?
The company has a great atmosphere where you can be yourself as well as having a laugh within the team throughout the day. Everyone has been so helpful when you ask them for support or guidance.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
5/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
5/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
4/5

Overall Experience

To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I have really enjoyed my placement it was what I was after which was a mixture of theoretical and practical role. I have tried to engross myself fully within the team to get the most out of the placement and absorb as much knowledge as possible.
There has also been many social opportunities from the graduate team who host different events and socials throughout the year as well as socials with the project team I worked within.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5

Future Career Prospects

Please rate the future employment prospects at BAE Systems
4/5

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend BAE Systems to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to BAE Systems
Do your research on the company specifically the sector you are looking to go into as BAE Systems operate in five different sectors. It will impress them if you have a good amount of knowledge on the current projects.
Brush up on basic mechanical knowledge of material properties, engines and how cooling systems works at a high level.
In This Review
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