Student and Employer Testimonials

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Read on to see a few student and employer testimonials from our Year In Industry 2017-18 placements.

After their placements, students and employers have taken some time to offer insight into their experience with our Year in Industry Scheme, their time working together, and the many benefits gained as a result.

Keep scrolling to see written and video testimonials!

Student Testimonials

Amber Kite, Medical Engineering Student at Cardiff University.

"Big thanks to my coordinator Kevin who did a fantastic job! My year in industry was the best career move I could have made, I have an amazing network now and have secured myself a graduate job for after uni. I loved my placement, and felt very supported by my placement coordinator and the team. They made sure I was enjoying the placement and getting the most out of it, but also took an interest in my personal well-being; my living situation, was I being paid enough, did I feel I was enjoying the placement etc. Excellent experience with the team at Symmons Madge assisting me. Would throughly recommend!"

Callum Thompson, Mechanical Engineering Student at Cardiff University.

"My year in Industry was invaluable. It allowed me to develop my engineering and communication skills in a range of environments. The responsibilities given to me included working with patent attorneys to produce CAD models and drawings for submissions(also patented my own invention), developing our rapid prototyping facilities with a budget of $11,000 dollars and an outreach programme with the EESW . Alongside day to day work I took part in training opportunities and business trips. I was lucky to be chosen for a trip to Hannover for an international exhibition. As well as this, I led a project with many specialists to produce recommendations for improvements to our fatigue analysis from material understanding to FEA to control methodology. The year has given me an insight into many roles, developing an understanding of the commercial world. Overall, I felt valued, interested and enthused by my placement and feel one step closer to knowing what I want to do."

Camille Pope, Medical Engineering Student at Cardiff University.

"For my placement year I worked for a medical device company who specialise in the in-house design and manufacture of single use bone cement mixing and delivery systems. I worked within the Research and Development department as the Intern Design Engineer. Everything I worked on was a “live” project and by the end of my placement I had gained many responsibilities that spanned across a variety of NPD/NPI projects. I fulfilled my want to work as a “design engineer” through designing a new bone cement delivery gun but due to the small nature of the company I was also able to explore other engineering avenues. I also worked closely with other departments and due to the nature of the medical device industry – the Regulatory Affairs department played a huge role in my placement. One of the things I am proudest of is the fact that I was very hands-on with the FDA 510(k) submission for one of the sports medicine devices the company design and manufacture, enabling it to be sold on the US market. For this I wrote test protocols, conducted testing and authored test reports that were submitted to the FDA as proof that the class II device was as safe for use as a predicate device already legally marketed in the US. I really enjoyed my placement and I learnt a vast amount. I now feel a lot more confident in finding and pursuing a career in the medical device industry once I have achieved my degree"

Employer Testimonials

Jon Cummings, Team Leader Reliability Engineer at Valero.

"Carlos has continued to demonstrate all of the personal qualities we expect of our undergraduate industrial placement students. His polite, humorous and professional approach together with his increasing ability and confidence has allowed him to build good working relationships in not only the Reliability & Engineering group but also with the wider Engineering and Maintenance teams on site. Carlos is currently working with the Standards & Specifications SME and together they have developed both the site’s Engineering website and a key information databases, including one for the maintenance of all of the sites shell and tube heat exchangers. Carlos continues to support the Engineering teams with the resolution of Engineering Technical Queries (ETQ’s) relating to ongoing operational issues on site. As a relatively small dedicated technical team of Mechanical Engineers, supporting the refinery operation it is important that our undergraduates are disciplined and self-motivated in completing all the tasks assigned. Carlos has completed all of the tasks assigned diligently and in a timely manner, seeking guidance when required from the other Engineers. Carlos quickly fitted into the role, as previously noted, and has continued to provide increasing levels of technical support as both the breadth of his knowledge and confidence have developed. He is a welcome addition to the team".

Click here to see Carlos' video feedback.

David Foster, Head Of Research & Development at Summit Medical Ltd

“Here at Summit Medical have always been keen to support young engineers, either via direct graduate employment, post-graduate programmes or more recently via 1 year industry schemes as part of a student's Degree and / or Masters. We have found young engineers can contribute greatly to our business; bringing with them a comprehensive set of skills learnt as part of their degree, combined with a willingness to learn new talents and the positive energy of wanting to try new things. For the past two years Summit Medical have taken students from Cardiff University who are studying Medical Engineering. The course profile is very relevant to the projects we undertake (medical orthopaedic devices) giving an excellent grounding in the medical directives we use in industry and providing a sound basis for engineering within a medical environment. We have had two exceptional students working with Summit Medical over recent years, taking on responsibilities we would expect at a graduate level; producing outputs that have benefited both our business and the individual's experience. I would highly recommend other companies look to take on student interns via the Year In Industry Scheme.”