Engineer Review

I am a software engineer working three days a week and studying two days a week (online lectures due to covid). On a work day, I'm a normal member of the team and get involved in ongoing projects. I'm very well supported in my role in terms of personal and professional development. I work fully from home due to covid. On lecture days, we have a few hours of online lectures throughout the day. Study days are free days where we focus on studying for the degree/ doing coursework when it's on.

I have grown massively in my 2+ years at Dyson. The skills learned in the workplace are incredibly valuable for my future career. I've undertaken 7 distinct job roles across mechanical, electronic, software and design engineering. Each new job requires integrating with the team and learning how they operate internally and within the business as a whole. As well as lectures, I've been through a few training days. (3D CAD, health & safety, workshop, electronics lab). All were very applicable to the jobs I've had.

As someone who enjoys a wide variety of engineering disciplines, I've really enjoyed my time here. It is a hell of a lot of work, but we are well supported and the community is very strong. Some work rotations are not great honestly, but they tend to be balanced out by the good ones. The final 2-year placement means you can choose exactly where you want to be, and I've massively enjoyed my work since then.

The organisation between Warwick and Dyson is often not well organised, but this shouldn't be a problem once Dyson start delivering their own degree. We are generally well communicated to by the Institute staff, and the system is broadly well structured. Being part of the first few cohorts and with the ongoing pandemic, the organisation and structure has changed fairly often (generally continuously improving). With the Dyson Institute maturing, the structure is becoming more and more reliable.

The institute has great student support, with regular one-to-ones with student support advisors for personal and professional development (and on-demand support sessions whenever we need). We regularly have wellbeing days, which (in non-covid times) involve a lot of free food/ drinks and development workshops. In the workplace, support depends on your manager. Some managers are much better than others, but you'll almost always have someone to help with any workplace troubles. Generally, it's hard to feel unsupported.

Support towards the apprenticeship standard has been pretty minimal, at least until the final year when it becomes more pressing. It is getting better with time and should improve when Dyson fully deliver the course. The support for the degree depends on the module lead, but generally the lecturers are very accessible. Dyson's academic support staff are enthusiastic and knowledgeable and happy to help with the course content at any time. I generally feel well supported.

In my opinion, the skills and knowledge gained during academic studies rarely apply to the workplace. This is dependent on the job, but usually everything you need to know about for the role is learned on the job. In fact, often I feel more that things I've learned at work help me in my studies. There are times, however, when information and resources from modules help provide context for the engineering problems in the workplace.

The Dyson Institute has a social budget for events for undergraduates (usually funding buses to Bristol for nights out). There are several open, student-organised trips every year - skiing trips, surfing trips, camping trips etc. There's also many smaller activities organised by the undergraduate social team, Institute staff, etc. You can usually find people with similar interests within the undergrad community. The Dyson Christmas party is the major work party of the year and is brilliant. Smaller work socials are reliant on the team but usually happen once in a rotation. As an example, with different teams I've been go-karting, to the pub and to restaurants.

Yes

The Dyson Institute is a fantastic springboard for a career in engineering. The experiences and skills developed in the workplace are incredibly valuable and to get paid for studying for a degree is incredible. The degree itself is pretty broad so you'll inevitably have to study for things you're not as interested in, but choosing a specialisation in 3rd/4th year is super engaging. The sense of community within cohorts is also a massive plus.

Dyson are looking for people passionate about engineering and willing to put lots of effort in, not necessarily for people with great technical expertise or experience. Focus on showing them why you love engineering (or at least play it up). It's an awful lot of work and can be very stressful, but the experience will pay off if you can manage it. You are also missing out on a lot of the 'classic' uni experience. With a very small community in the middle of nowhere, social life is a lot more restricted.