During last week's Skills and Employability Week, many of our undergraduate and masters students took part in site visits around the country.

BMW Group - Mini Plant

During a visit to the Mini Plant near Oxford, students spent time in the archive room, learning about the history and development of this iconic car, before being given an extensive tour, where they learnt how the plant and its more than 3000 employees and over 1200 robots produce up to 1000 cars per day, taking around 23 hours per bespoke car. At the end of the afternoon, Queen Mary Mechanical Engineering alum Michael Sobodu gave a talk about his career trajectory and his job as Mechanical Facilities Planner, managing projects around the plant.

Siemens Healthineers

In another part of Oxford, a group of students visited Siemens Healthineers' main production floor to see how almost 700 staff contribute to producing MRI scanners and the superconducting magnets which run them, as well as learning about the latest developments in the technology. As a leading manufacturer of MRI scanners, Siemens Heathineers deliver them around the world, and every 1 in 2 machines sold globally come from Siemens. The students also met Sherjeel Anjum, a student currently on his industrial placement year as a Manufacturing Engineering Intern, and took part in a networking session with other staff.

Leonardo

At Leonardo's headquarters in Luton, students were introduced to working life at the aerospace technology company, meeting Principal Systems Engineer Dr C Princess Udeze, who completed her PhD in Medical Engineering at Queen Mary in 2017. She told them about the importance of tailoring your applications when applying for placements and graduate roles, and encouraged them to take advantage of careers services and Placement Officer Helen Green's workshops. Many thanks to Princess for organising a diverse panel of alumni and to Leonardo colleagues across engineering disciplines who gave insights into their work and Leonardo's recruitment processes. Thanks also to Mitansh Choksi, a current student on placement at Leonardo, who joined virtually from the Edinburgh office to share her experience.