Student Engineer Review

Working in Asset Management, the type of work can be very varied. I have had exposure to industries such as water, oil and gas looking at aspects including environmental pollution, data management, health and safety etc. I have conducted activities such as data analysis, design reviews, report writing, writing minutes and site visits. The average day can be a range of these activities along with meetings with other team members or clients.

Definitely. I assisted in multiple site visits for a water company and gas company. I was in charge of writing minutes for many client meetings. I asked my line manager and colleagues if I could be given more calculation tasks and I was given a range of tasks related to venturi pumps, wire ropes and pipe losses. I was given a project to own where I created a Power BI dashboard and had the opportunity to present this to business directors in my company and ask for feedback.

The type of skills you develop is linked to what you skills you are interested in developing. For example, I was involved in many client meetings writing and sharing the minutes and then worked behind the scenes analysing the information collected and presenting it in reports or presentations or dashboards. In this way, I developed skills such as data analysis (Power BI), problem solving, report writing and presentation design. Because I enjoyed using Power BI, I ended up developing this skill a lot, creating many dashboards and presenting them to clients and colleagues. However, there is opportunity to develop other skills such as chairing meetings and project management - just ask your line manager or team members for opportunities.

Everyone was really nice, caring and supportive. Both my team in asset management and my colleagues in the office. There were people who were actively looking for opportunities I could get involved with to expand my experience e.g. give me calculation tasks that I had asked for, or introducing me to other teams that are related to my degree. There were people who would ask if I wanted to get involved in socials in their team or socials in the Bristol office. Everyone always made me feel comfortable to ask questions or ask for help and would direct me to useful online training or share useful tips/websites.

Our team has an excellent health and safety culture. Everyone I've met in the Bristol office is really happy with how flexible work is, for example you're not restricted on what days you can take leave and you can work from home (though make the most of the placement by working in the office!). We have several socials in the office every month such as bimonthly board games, monthly free drinks in the office, weekly yoga etc. You get a charity day each year where you choose an activity to help a charitable cause. You can do this as a social with other colleagues.

Very enjoyable. How much you enjoy the placement doesn't just depend on the placement itself but also on how much you make the most of it. I found that making the most of the time in the office with other colleagues, and doing my best in whatever work I'm given however small, helped me really enjoy my placement.

Yes