Engineer Review

I tried out a variety of engineering teams (from research to design), spending 3 months in each and working as part of the team as much as possible. They’ve provided me with a mentor and any training I need (software, workshop, electronics) to be able to help them out - it’s a give and take! Two days of the week are dedicated to studying for the degree (atm this is online lectures).

I’ve used so many engineering softwares for the first time - from Adobe Suite, programming software and NX for 3D design. I’ve developed soft skills just from working alongside a team in an office environment (attending/hosting meetings, making presentations, dealing with a range of people), and learning from a variety of managers/mentors. The institute also arrange training courses and external speakers to compliment the experience.

As work environments go, Dyson is a nice place place to spend your week. The social side will never match up to a huge university, but there are enough undergraduates (as well as interns and grads) that we can have a really good time in and outside of work. The work side can be boring at times but this a small cost of trying out so many fields of engineering.

The programme is pretty dynamic and we don’t always have a concrete idea of what we’ll be doing next. There is a large, dedicated team, however, to make sure our experience is as rich as possible and the course is still developing.

We get all the benefits/protection that a normal Dyson employee gets, as well as dedicated support from the Institute. Student support advisors are always available for a meeting to help with anything from personal issues to career development. If I want more support in any area it’s very simple to seek it out, and the Institute will often organise a talk or workshop if the issue is common.

We have an apprenticeship tutor who helps us log our experiences (and work out where any gaps are) to make the apprenticeship qualification easier to tick off when the time for assessment comes at the end of the course. My degree will be from Warwick university who just provide lecturers.

The apprenticeship is a great way to make sure I’m picking up a good variety of “Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours”. It doesn’t necessarily add to what I do, but makes me me record it and get the most out of my experiences.

Dyson has loads of extra curricular stuff going on. It has a free gym and sports hall, where lots of sports clubs meet. That’s a great way of meeting people from across the business. There are Lean In circles, craft club and loads more of you can find the time between work and uni! The undergrads have a social team and organise events themselves too.

Yes

I think the experience you get here is infinitely better than what you would get from just a degree at uni. If you want to do engineering, or just get straight into work but still get a high qualification, I don’t think there’s a better place. We get spoiled with opportunities, paid really well, and have fun while we’re at it.

Be prepared that it’s heavy on the engineering, and pretty stressful at times. It might seem like you’re missing out on a classic uni experience but trust me, by second year you definitely won’t envy normal students! In applying they want to check your potential more than your knowledge, so don’t worry about not knowing about engineering to begin with. Just ask lots of questions and try to enjoy the experience!