Industrial Engineer Review
at Schneider Electric
Degree Apprenticeship
Engineering
Leeds
Review Submitted: February 2025
Overall Rating
4.4 /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!
4.5/5
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Overview of Role
4/5
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Skills Development
4/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
As an Industrial Engineer, I identify problems in the manufacturing process, and then research and implement ways of correcting it. When there are no problems to be found, I look for ways to improve the safety, efficiency and sustainability of the industrial process.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
5/5
If you had told me in year 10 that I would be earning decent money working as an engineer for a Fortune 500 company, earning a degree without going into a single penny of debt, I wouldn't have believed you. I find what I do totally rewarding, and I have become the peppy "go-getter" type that I despised in school.
That's not even mentioning the university! They send me to Birmingham for one week every month, which honestly feels like a holiday... Every month. There, I hang out with other people my age. Anyone who tells you you'll "miss out on the uni experience by being an apprentice" is dead wrong, it depends on your course for sure. They pay for my hotel and dinner expenses, and I attend classes from 10-4, and hit the town in the evening. It's fun, it's varied, and apparently I'm learning stuff too. Cool!
That's not even mentioning the university! They send me to Birmingham for one week every month, which honestly feels like a holiday... Every month. There, I hang out with other people my age. Anyone who tells you you'll "miss out on the uni experience by being an apprentice" is dead wrong, it depends on your course for sure. They pay for my hotel and dinner expenses, and I attend classes from 10-4, and hit the town in the evening. It's fun, it's varied, and apparently I'm learning stuff too. Cool!
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
I've learned a huge amount of skills, way too many to list here. I've learned practical engineering from my colleagues, theoretical engineering from the university they send me to, and professionalism from working for a huge company like Schneider.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
This is dependent on your manager and department. I think I'm quite lucky, in that my unit is a tightly run ship, I always have plenty to do, and I receive ample support for the uni work too. However, I think this is partly because I have a good manager, and I have heard some people not enjoying the same kind of structure that I do.
I'm going to rate this section 9 stars based on my own personal experience, but I think it's a case of "mileage can vary".
I'm going to rate this section 9 stars based on my own personal experience, but I think it's a case of "mileage can vary".
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
Plenty! They've been really good at managing my workload and my "Off The Job Hours" (OTJ's), legally, a minimum of 20% of my time must be OTJ which Schneider has been really faithful to. Additionally, when I've had tests they have been accommodating for study leave, which is super valuable.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
Okay, this is perhaps an area that could use some work. The uni they send me to is called Aston University in Birmingham, and they're definitely the weaker half of this apprenticeship. Recently, I had to sort of fight them to give me reasonable adjustments for my dyslexia.
Having said that, they're by no means bad. For example, they run free online drop-in maths tuition that I find utterly invaluable in the run up to tests, and the online nature of these sessions means it doesn't matter that most of the time I am so far away from campus.
6/10. They're not awful, but there is plenty of room for improvement.
Having said that, they're by no means bad. For example, they run free online drop-in maths tuition that I find utterly invaluable in the run up to tests, and the online nature of these sessions means it doesn't matter that most of the time I am so far away from campus.
6/10. They're not awful, but there is plenty of room for improvement.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
Haha, this is a funny question. There's a lot of maths involved in an engineering degree, and practically speaking I use no complex maths in my day-to-day job.
I like the two aspects being (almost) unrelated though. If I only worked, without study, I would only know *how* things worked, and not *why*. For example, I would be able to tell you that water came out of the jet at 100m/s at 700PSI, but I wouldn't be able to tell you it's because of the specific heat of the surrounding air, or how we could model the laminar flow of the fluid in the pipe before it exits.
I like the two aspects being (almost) unrelated though. If I only worked, without study, I would only know *how* things worked, and not *why*. For example, I would be able to tell you that water came out of the jet at 100m/s at 700PSI, but I wouldn't be able to tell you it's because of the specific heat of the surrounding air, or how we could model the laminar flow of the fluid in the pipe before it exits.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
5/5
Yes, Schneider absolutely scores a perfect 10 here. I'm part of the:
- Engagement committee, who organize fun things to do for all employees (apprentice and full time) in our site.
- Apprentice social committee, who organize fun things to do with other SE apprentices in the UK (exclusive for apprentices).
- The mini-project team, we're currently making a Hornby-style diorama of how our products are used in the grid.
Also, inexplicably, they offer the Duke of Edinburgh scheme as well. I didn't get a chance to do my gold award thanks to COVID when I was in school, but I'm doing it this year anyway at the ripe old age of 22.
Yes, there are definitely plenty of extra-curricular things to do at Schneider!
- Engagement committee, who organize fun things to do for all employees (apprentice and full time) in our site.
- Apprentice social committee, who organize fun things to do with other SE apprentices in the UK (exclusive for apprentices).
- The mini-project team, we're currently making a Hornby-style diorama of how our products are used in the grid.
Also, inexplicably, they offer the Duke of Edinburgh scheme as well. I didn't get a chance to do my gold award thanks to COVID when I was in school, but I'm doing it this year anyway at the ripe old age of 22.
Yes, there are definitely plenty of extra-curricular things to do at Schneider!
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Schneider Electric to a friend?
Yes
Why?
2k referral bonus
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Schneider Electric?
Show enthusiasm! I got this job over people with better A-Level grades than me, and I think it's because I got excited about the role. I took this energy to the interview and I think it set me apart from the others, who might have been more reserved or "playing it cool".
Please feel free to message me on LinkedIn and I'd happily help you out if you're serious about this - linkedin.com/in/david-bray-a4b8a221b
Please feel free to message me on LinkedIn and I'd happily help you out if you're serious about this - linkedin.com/in/david-bray-a4b8a221b
