Graduate Global Manufacturing Engineer Review

My experience at JLR has been extremely positive, I am extremely grateful to work at a company that really values the growth and development of its employees. I have been able to complete so much training and CPD in the year that I have been here and have several mentors across the business to develop my soft and technical skills. I find the role I do to be very interesting and rewarding with a great work life balance. The role is line with my long term career aspirations and I hope to continue my journey towards professional registration with the company.

I work within the manufacturing space of JLR, within the Final Assembly (Trim & Final) technology in the Facilities team. The role entails working with vendors to coordinate installations in the facilities. I enjoy the project management aspect of the role, and liaising with internal stakeholders (maintenance, production, health & safety) to deliver new machinery and equipment.

I have felt like a valued member of the team from very early on in the role. I manage several projects by myself and have had the opportunity to expand my network across many areas of the business.

We have a good pension package with the company and have different schemes such as 'Invest in You' where we are given credits annually to develop ourselves outside our role - I have been fortunate to complete a 6 week ceramics course as well as a 3 week photography course. We are able to work hybrid in our role.

This role is definitely in line with my future career. I have always been interested in the manufacturing industry and would prefer project management roles rather than specifically technical which I am able to develop in my current role.

The support at JLR is incomparable, we have mentors at every level of expertise provided to us. I have a grad buddy in the year above me who I was able to consult if I had any issues or questions about my role or the scheme, I have a few mentors for professional registration as well as a mentor within my role to ensure that I am competent in my role upon rolling off the scheme

Thankfully, I live very close to work so with my hours of 7:15-3:45, I am able to have an entire life after work for my hobbies. I have been able to start going to the gym regularly, take Arabic lessons and prioritise family commitments. We are able to work from home once a week in my team but they are understanding if this needs to be increased for something specific. When I was sick, my manager was considerate and I didn't feel pressured to return to work or worry about missing anything.

The culture is great. As a woman in such a dominated field, there are sometimes issues as to be expected but generally, the culture is very inclusive and supportive - and when issues have been raised, I felt listened to and responded to. There are many networks at work with lots of events so I feel like I can express who I am without feeling marginalised.

There are many networks across the business that promote diversity and inclusion. I am a part of Women in Engineering, Islamic Society, Asian Network to name a few. We are also invited to other network events which allow us to learn more about other's interests, beliefs and culture which is great.

Yes

Amazing development opportunities at the company, challenges you to reach your potential without feeling pressured to perform to an unattainable level. Nice culture, supportive team and colleagues.

The role didn't completely match what I had expected. On the manufacturing graduate scheme, you are not able to rotate on many placements unlike other schemes at the business such as Product Engineering, Commercial etc. It is a current issue and causes a lot of graduates to feel dissatisfied with the scheme. Not everyone's experience on the scheme is equal, some teams give more opportunities to develop and do meaningful work. Originally, I was placed in a team with a very toxic environment which I did not enjoy. After a few months, I had the opportunity to leave the team and since, my experience is much better.