Engineering Intern Review

I am an engineering intern based in the component repair business at GE Aviation Wales. I support a team of special process engineers on day-to-day MRO shop activities including the industrialisation of new repairs and addressing shop floor technical queries relating to process, tooling and quality issues. I also design and develop tooling and fixture to facilitate on-site repair processes.

There are various training courses put in place to enable employees to broaden their skills-set and experience. One such course that has greatly benefited me was the course on lean six sigma where I was exposed to concept and importance of lean management/processes in organisations.

The team at GE Aviation is close-knit and welcoming, creating a pleasant work environment. The ethos is one which is driven by delivering to customers on-time and of high quality and this is one of the main motivating factors for employees to support each other towards success - this is what makes both the programme and the company enjoyable to be a part of.

Despite being on one-year contract, interns on the industrial placement programme are valued as important members of the team, just like other full-time employees. We are given significant tasks and responsibilities such as managing the procurement of tools and fixtures, industrialisation of repairs as well as being the shop focal on certain projects involving headquarters.

The programme is well-organised as interns working in the various departments/divisions have well and clearly-defined roles and responsibilities, which are laid out during the start of the programme. There are regular mentor-mentee meetings to gauge short term progress and define long term expectations. Inter-department shadowing sessions are also organised to broaden our exposure to the various business units of the company.

There is generally very little interaction and involvement from my university and tutor on the industrial placement/internship programme. We are required to produce quarterly progress reports on our time at the company which will then be reviewed by the university tutor. Rhythmic site visits and interaction between employer and university would definitely be beneficial.

The support from GE (manager, HR, mentor) is strong, effective and consistent. There is a lot of focus into personal development be it in terms of developing new skills-set, knowledge or network. This comes in the form of the regular manager-intern/mentor-mentee meetings that are set up to discuss performance and progress throughout the course of the programme.

The salary for an intern is sufficient to cover most costs - living, travel, daily, social etc but the additional perks (shopping, travel discounts etc) that comes with the job makes the whole package worthwhile. The location of the site is towards the outskirts of the main city Cardiff, thus making the cost of living the surrounding areas lower relative to bigger cities like London.

Yes, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in various charitable organisations and local community events such as the STEM Ambassabor Programme, GLBTA Network, fund raising events, school students mentoring programmes and even choir sessions! Social events are organised once in a while to foster stronger ties amongst employees, though can be made more regular!

Yes

GE is a multi-national, multi-disciplinary business with presence all across the globe. The exposure and network one would develop whilst working at GE is tremendous and the experience of being able to communicate with employees from all around the world on an almost daily basis is invaluable.

Read around well about the company, speak to previous interns/apprentices to get a well-rounded idea of the company, culture and people at GE.