Student View: A Work Experience Day with MBDA (Engineering)
MBDA is the leading European developer & manufacturer of missiles, with more than 11,000 employees in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. MBDA hosts excellent work experience days for Uptree students in Stevenage and Bolton, including behind-the-scenes tours of their offices.
Here we interview Geraldynn from The John Henry Newman School about her experience at MBDA's insight event in February.
Group picture from MBDA work experience day, Stevenage
How did you prepare for the event?
To prepare for the event I did some research on what MBDA did as a company by looking at their website ( here ) which gave me a better idea of the type of work that was being carried out there and the type of people they were looking for.
I felt overjoyed that I had the opportunity to experience what the employees did in a day. When I was there I was eager to get along with the other people and to learn as much as possible.
What did you learn during the work experience day?
I got to learn about a project they were working on at the moment and realised how revolutionary their projects would be if they were successful. I also learnt about the different courses I could take to join the company if I met the requirements, and was impressed by the variety of options they had to offered.
I was surprised by the amount of opportunities apprentices received as they could move to different areas within the company, I think that is what puts MBDA above other companies because they are more flexible and you are also guaranteed a job interview with the company when your apprenticeship is finished.
What activities did you enjoy the most?
I enjoyed the problem-solving task they gave us because it was a chance for us to address a particular issue that we thought was relevant to us. This activity allowed me to bond with other people my age which helped me gain confidence and improve my social skills as we had to work together as a team.
By giving us a time limit to work on our presentation we really had to work efficiently and communicate well with one another. I thought this task was the best because at the end one of the employees gave us feedback on how we worked as a team and individually, which was useful because now I know what to improve on so I won't make the same mistakes next time.
Do you have any advice to give students who are in your position?
I would advise others to apply for these work experience days as they are an excellent opportunity for you to see and understand what this job and company does. Especially for those who don't know whether this sort of job is what they want, I encourage you to go so you can get a better understanding and so you can make a better, well-informed decision.
Summary
Thank you to Geraldynn for taking the time to share her experience and give us the insider view of a day with MBDA.
MBDA offer degree-apprenticeships in mechanical engineering, business and technology (Stevenage, Bristol and Bolton). To find out more, visit their company page: https://www.mbdacareers.co.uk/early-careers/apprenticeships or watch an overview video here .
If you'd like to see when their next work experience day is in your area, head over to the Uptree events page: https://uptree.co/events/
By Uptree
Published on:
Mon 9 Mar 2020