Summer Scheme Student Review

The role involved sitting within a departmental team and essentially undertaking the role of a junior member of that team. Day-to-day, it could involve shadowing meetings, attending site visits, report writing or other delegated tasks from members of you team. The nature of the scheme means the experience is largely dependent on who you work with, this guarantees lots of variety!

I was given far more responsibility than I originally thought, even when I felt I was not capable of the role/task assigned to me. It allowed a steep learning curve and an ability to take ownership over a piece of work, and allow yourself and others to see you progress over the course of the scheme. I could really see how my work was being put into practice in the business.

Many - lots of technical skills I had no background in coming from a non-cognate pathway. Picking up terms/methods/skills is easy when chucked in head first, and being the only intern in a team of professions helps with this. Also, soft skills such as time management, professionalism, report writing etc. just by the nature of the role being a people-focused corporate position.

I was given plenty of support and guidance. The graduate mentor system is incredibly helpful - I found myself using them as a resource for both work related queries and as a bridge into the social culture of the team I worked within. Away from that, the wider team and management were incredibly supportive, with many people reaching out offering opportunities and guidance throughout.

The company culture is reasonably laid back and casual, expecting hard work but never overworking interns. People seem to work hard more for themselves as a self-motivated sense of drive rather than demands coming from management. The atmosphere was down to earth and friendly, with people generally making an effort to talk to you and put you at ease, especially in the first few weeks. Being in a slightly younger (demographically) team certainly helped too.

I hugely enjoyed my experience here. Although at times slightly overwhelming, throughout I felt supported and recognised and I feel I really developed both technical and soft skills from the experience. The scheme is a brilliant insight into the industry if it is something you are considering from a non-cognate background.

Yes