Undergraduate Engineer Review

Two days a week i spend on academic work, with lectures being provided by the university of warwick, either remotely over teams or in the dedicated lectures spaces on site at Dyson. The other 3 days i spend in the workplace in Dyson's engineering teams working on real world engineering problems.

Not only am i gaining engineering knowledge from lectures provided by warick like at a typical university, i am also gaining many life skills from the workplace side of things. For example, working in an electronics engineering team means i get to learn how the workplace works and advanced knowledge.

I find that this program is well suited to what i need and so i get lots of enjoyment out of it. At times it can be stressful, especially around deadlines as working in the week limits time we can focus on studying but the overall experience is still enjoyable.

I think the program is fairly well organised, with lectures being organised by the Warwick university team and workplace things being organised by dedicated staff members. There are sometimes some issues with communication, especially between Dyson and Warwick, for example knowing what rooms lectures will be in. It would also be good to be provided with lecture timings in advance instead of the week before so time can be planned in advance.

The support at Dyson is a highlight for me. Not only are there resources available for all Dyson employees such as safe spaces in the office, metal health first-aiders and other helpful info. i as an undergraduate also receive extra help such as having a line manager and mentor, as well as having dedicated student support staff who i have regular catch ups with.

I would say that compared to the support i receive from Dyson, the support I receive from Warwick university is much less accessible. For example, for extra academic support i have to reach out and ask specifically for extra help. I understand that there is also lots of student support offered but with me not being located near Warwick some of this is not accessible.

I feel that having lectures on general engineering alongside my workplace role very helpful, especially in my second tear i have found that more and more content is aligning with the job role and so i am able to apply what i have learnt each day. The workplace also helps give context to the content.

Yes the Dyson institute has plenty of extra curricular activities to get involved in that help make it feel a bit more like a normal student experience. For example there are trips, clubs and social events throughout the term that are open to all students. There are also extracurricular opportunities offered by Dyson to all employees such as book and gardening groups.

Yes

The Dyson institute is a great place if you want to do a degree apprenticeship but also want a normal student life. It is a great balance between getting work experience and a degree debt free while also having the opportunity to meet like minded people and have some fun.

Be yourself, all the people who have got into the Dyson institute are great people who are all well suited to the course and so there is no point pretending you are someone you aren't when applying, if its right for you, you'll get in. Also it is important to consider if working is something you want o do while being a student, it is a great opportunity but wont be for everyone, especially those who might want more free time to do extracurricular things.