Georgina talks to us about her placement at Procter and Gamble and how she secured a job after graduating!
BEng Chemical Engineering student Georgina talks about her placement at Procter and Gamble and her future plans...
What fascinated you about Chemical Engineering and why did you want to pursue your degree at Aston?
I chose to study Chemical Engineering at Aston because I’ve always been a bit of a science nerd and wanted to study something that was practical but paid well because let’s be honest money doesn’t make the world go round but it helps.
I chose to study at Aston because I was really interested in the placement opportunity I could take advantage of during my studies. I wanted to have the opportunity to gain insight and have a year out, so that when it came to applying for graduate schemes, I knew which sector I did and didn’t want to work in. I also chose Aston because I wanted a campus-based university that was centrally located and within walking distance of the city centre. Aston really stood out in terms of their accommodation, the blocks were new and well furnished - trust me good storage Is key for student living!
For me, the university also had to have a large social side and Aston has so many clubs and societies to be part of!
Tell us about your placement year and how you found it?
I did a 12-month placement at Procter and Gamble (P&G). It was an industrial manufacturing internship in their dry laundry department. Here I undertook many roles from managing a department to devising, testing, and commissioning energy savings projects. Personally, I believe the placement allowed me to really put all the things I had learned from my first and second years at university into practice. I learned how an actual real-life multi-million-pound production plant works, and what it takes to keep it running, and gained an understanding of the behind-the-scenes of a Fortune 500 company.
Don’t get me wrong at times it was hard work, but I loved every second of it and I would highly recommend trying to get a placement and looking at the millions of emails your lecturers send out about placements.
What did you learn during your degree that you applied to your placement?
I think a lot of the modules I was taught I applied on placement. The modules that really stood out for me included; process design, health and safety, and transfer processes. I think the group projects support in preparing you for placement as you gain an understanding of how a production plant works and are able to put your knowledge into practice, it also strengthens your skills in how to work with different personalities.
What do you think the future holds for Chemical Engineers?
Chemical engineering is a very progressive and fast-moving industry. I think we are going to see a lot of green energy coming into the industry, especially with the 2030 agenda. I think sadly the petro-chemical industry is going to decline and there is going to be a massive increase in nuclear, wind, and solar engineering. Chemical engineering has such a wide range of sectors there will always be something for everyone and always be a demand for Chemical Engineers.
What advice would you give to students who are looking at studying Chemical Engineering?
Go for it!
Chemical engineering is so diverse you will learn so many different things including aspects of a business course, mechanical engineering course, and law amongst many others. If you love science and are good at problem-solving, then Chemical Engineering is for you. Even if you do the degree and decide at the end that you don’t want to be a chemical engineer you can go into pretty much any field. Banks love us, we are amazing project engineers. So, take the chance, believe you can do it, and just go for it. It's hard work but it’s still fun and the paychecks in the future will be worth it.
What are your future plans?
I am lucky enough to have been offered a full-time job with P&G after completing my placement year with them. I have already signed my job contract and will be returning to them after I finished my degree in the summer of 2023. After that, I’m not quite sure where that will take me, but P&G has multiple sites all over the world so I would potentially like to embark on an abroad assignment and live overseas for a few years.