Matthew Edwards MEng Mechanical Engineering

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

I would strongly recommend taking a yearlong industrial placement, or several summer placements. They are an opportunity to use and supplement the skills and knowledge accumulated during your degree, and are a fantastic way to stand out from the crowd when applying for graduate positions.

I started my placement year with a 12 month placement as a Design Engineer at Triumph Motorcycles in Hinckley, Leicestershire. I was mainly involved in the design of the 2013 Tiger Sport motorcycle, but I also had the opportunity to work with several other motorcycles. I was given a significant level of responsibility, and by the end of my placement I had become a well-respected member of the team, involved in exactly the same tasks as many of the more senior engineers.

My day to day tasks were varied and often carried to tight time constraints. I designed components using CAD software and presented them to senior engineers, produced engineering drawings and change management records, tested components and wrote reports, performed tolerance analyses, resolved manufacturing and quality issues, and liaised with suppliers.

I was able to implement some of the knowledge I gained at university (particularly manufacturing/materials modules), but I also learned a lot and developed many new skills (such as tolerance analysis, geometrical dimensioning and tolerancing, and designing for plastic injection moulding, and designing for assembly).

After 12 months at Triumph, I did a 3 month internship as a Mechanical Engineer at MBDA Missile Systems in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. I worked on several aspects of the Brimstone air-launched ground-attack missile. My day to day tasks at MBDA were similar to those at Triumph. My previous experience allowed me to quickly become deeply involved in a number of interesting and challenging projects.

I would strongly recommend taking a yearlong industrial placement, or several summer placements. They are an opportunity to use and supplement the skills and knowledge accumulated during your degree, and are a fantastic way to stand out from the crowd when applying for graduate positions (or even to get an offer of employment so you don't need to spend time applying during your hectic final year), and they give you an insight into what it's like to work for an engineering company in a certain industry.