David Willacy MEng Mechanical Engineering

Hi, I'm David Willacy and I studied MEng Mechanical Engineering within Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton.

I learnt a great deal during the placement, and it is undoubtedly making me better in fourth year at university, and I will be a much more complete graduate than if I had not done it.

I took a 13-month placement at Williams Hybrid Power, a spin-off company of Williams F1 which is developing a novel electro-mechanical flywheel energy storage system, essentially a mechanical battery, to be used in hybrid systems for motorsport and London buses.

Due to it being a relatively small company, albeit with access to fantastic facilities, I experienced a range of projects and had a great variety in my work. Day-to-day I was involved in improving production processes and tools, CAD design and rig testing parts. The most satisfying project I was involved in was designing parts for the flywheel that Audi used to win the 2013 Le Mans 24 hours, and I designed a full sub-system for the flywheel to be used in 2014.

I chose to take a year in industry as after three years of study, I felt ready to start applying my knowledge to real-world problems, and when the opportunity with WHP arose, it was too good to turn down. I learnt a great deal during the placement, and it is undoubtedly making me better in fourth year at university, and I will be a much more complete graduate than if I had not done it. A year in industry greatly improves your employment prospects, and I received an offer for a graduate position with WHP. I would very much recommend a year in industry to anyone, just take care to choose a company that is right for you.