Undergraduate Engineer Review

Work 3 days a week and study for 2. The team you work for changes several times each year for the first two years of the course, which gives a good overview of different part of the business and gives a good idea of what you might want to specialise in.

Working in an engineering workplace gives loads of opportunities to develop soft and hard skills. I've worked in electrical, mechanical, software and research teams and have learned many things about each area that I wouldn't have learned if I was completing a traditional degree. It's developed my confidence to talk to new people when I need help with my workplace project.

The workplace is great and has given me an amazing insight into engineering. I originally intended to become a mechanical engineer but having worked in various teams across Dyson I now know I want to become a software engineer. However, the academic component of the course has been really poor in my experience. I've found that lectures are really boring and difficult to learn from (this is something not necessarily specific to this course). The academic course expects you to work a lot outside of work, which is very tiring (especially as I don't enjoy it). Lecturers are obviously working Monday to Friday, but so are we. We're told not to complete uni work during work days but there isn't any other time to contact lecturers.

The workplace is well structured. Training is provided where necessary, for example, if you are joining a Mechanical team you will be given two days of CAD training beforehand. The teams you join will vary in willingness to help but generally most teams are happy to help undergrads whenever they have the time. The academic side is mostly well organised.

In the workplace there's plenty of support from managers, mentors and the wider team in general. I've worked with people who have 20 years experience which gives really good insight into solving problems within projects. Many of the teams I've been in have had a focus on mental health too; some members of the team will be trained for 'mental health first aid'.

We haven't received appropriate apprenticeship meeting for more than half the time we've been on the course. This is a problem with Warwick and shouldn't be an issue for people getting a degree from Dyson. Also, I don't feel there is enough time to contact lecturers as their working days overlap with many of our working days.

There is a somewhat of a disconnect between academic work and the workplace. I find the workplace much more interesting, and most of the content of the degree is less about helping you to thrive in the workplace and more about ticking boxes to enable them to give you the degree. Being in the workplace has taught me more useful skills than the degree has.

There are quite a few extracurricular and social events to take part in. Malmesbury is a very quiet town so if you don't have a car then your only escape from Malmesbury will be on the social trips. The social trips are generally good as they're organised by student social reps.

No

The workplace has been good but I've found the academic delivery by Warwick has taken a toll on my mental health. We get a good salary and great career prospects, so I've been forcing myself through the academic side. I've not found the Warwick lecturers to be particularly helpful or inspiring.

The assessment process was very different for me as I applied during Covid. First I completed an online test which (if I remember correctly) tests some basic math and statistics. The questions are fairly easy but are timed, so you need to complete them quickly. The first telephone interview seemed to mostly check that I have a genuine interest in working for Dyson, asking about the history of the company etc. Finally there was a video call interview which tested some problem solving skills.