Year in Industry Placement at Wilde Analysis a Great Success

Engineering undergraduate Ross Gardner has found his Year in Industry (YINI) placement at Wilde Analysis a valuable insight into the professional engineering world and has gained many career-boosting benefits along the way…

After a busy and productive year, a highly successful placement at Wilde Analysis is drawing to a close for engineering undergraduate Ross Gardner.

Currently studying Mechanical Engineering at Cardiff University, Ross arrived at Wilde in August 2015, as part of the popular Year in Industry (YINI) scheme, organised in this case by Symmons Madge Associates Ltd.

As part of his placement, Ross has received training in leading engineering software including ANSYS, Autodesk Moldflow and DEFORM, allowing him to become actively involved with multiple projects during his time at Wilde. The projects in which he has participated range from hyper elastic seal modelling to buckling analysis of large scale anaerobic digester tanks, as well as a wide range of other challenging projects.

Working as part of the Wilde team, Ross has been able to gain technical knowledge as well as business-related skills through working directly with Wilde’s experienced engineers and clients on a day-to-day basis. Ross comments:

“I have thoroughly enjoyed working at Wilde during my placement year and have gained so much knowledge in the process, not only about simulation analysis but also on a wide range of industries through the projects I have worked on. My colleagues have been extremely friendly and welcoming throughout the year, making sure I get the most out of my time here. I believe the skills and experiences I have gained at Wilde will benefit me greatly in my University studies as well as providing me a strong starting point for my career.”

John Dennis, Wilde’s Technical Director, reflects:

“Ross has worked exceptionally well within our engineering team here at Wilde. His ability to quickly grasp engineering concepts, coupled with his enthusiasm, and his natural team-working mentality has led to a very successful placement.

In return for his commitment, Ross has received excellent support and encouragement from our team which will give him a head start when he commences his professional engineering career.”

Wilde has been providing engineering placement opportunities for around 15 years, and most of these students take their year out after two years of academic study. John Dennis adds:

“It is a very rewarding experience for the company to see promising young engineers developing their skills whilst they are with us. For the individual trainee engineer, this is a wonderful opportunity to absorb and develop valuable technical and business related skills. This truly is a situation where everyone wins.”

The Year in Industry (YINI) Scheme*

A ‘Year in Industry’ offers undergraduate students a chance to work in an industry relevant to their degree. Statistics show that students who take a sandwich year often get better results in their degree. In the UK, less than 30% of students undertake work placement, in contrast with the European average of 55%, with numbers rising to 70 % in France and 80% in Germany.

Placements are usually for a minimum of 48 weeks and normally take place between the students’ second or third year of their degree course, although the period can be extended by mutual agreement between employer and student.

For further details of the YINI scheme run by Symmons Madge Associates, and if you are interested in applying for a placement at Wilde starting after June 2017, please visit: http://www.symmonsmadge.co.uk/home.html

*’Year in Industry Scheme’ text reproduced by kind permission of Symmons Madge Associates.