My name is Ethan O’Donnell, and I’m currently entering my fourth year of my mechanical engineering degree with the University of Strathclyde. This summer I completed my 12 week internship with Saltire Scholars at James Fisher Defence.
I applied to Saltire so that I could gain experience related to my degree outside of University and in the real world, where you can be fully involved and see how your course is applied in industry first hand. From the experience, I was hoping to build my confidence at tackling complex problems and build an analytical skillset which I could take back to the rest of my studies.
James Fisher are known for their involvement in a wide range of sectors spanning several industries, they have operations in areas like renewable energy, commercial diving and maritime infrastructure, knowing this, I was excited to see what would be on offer.
I was located in the Inchinnan office for James Fisher, a short drive from the city centre of Glasgow, my role was as a design, test and validation intern, working under senior mechanical engineers across various projects. I particularly enjoyed the scope of work on offer as the company was eager to let me contribute to several different projects, all with different requirements and knowledge required. A lot of the work in my role was based off concepts from my mechanical engineering course, I was able to apply what I had learned from thermodynamics and energy system classes and further-learn other areas of engineering on the job – there was also a considerable amount of Microsoft excel. This was encouraged by the company as they were ultimately there to facilitate any learning I was able to do, I got to showcase this in the last week of the internship when myself and the other interns got to present our summer’s work to a leadership panel which proved as a highly beneficial moment to leave our impact and feel proud of what we’d worked on. On top of this, the company further enhanced our experiences and opportunities to learn through several excursions to see some of what they do in action and how we can impact that, one trip involved getting to travel to Aberdeen which was definitely the highlight for me.
Due to the involvement available within the role, I was able to feel like I was making a real impact on the company and the work they do, James Fisher operate heavily in the maritime industry, with large amounts of their work being centred around submarine rescue, so knowing I was working on a project that could go on to save lives was genuinely satisfying.
This opportunity, which without Saltire Scholars I simply wouldn’t have had available, has significantly impacted my personal and professional growth, I feel more confident coming back to University to apply new skillsets to classes and when I eventually hopefully return to the industry I feel fully capable of getting stuck in and get back to making real impacts. I never expected the amount of involvement (given the general stereotype of an internship), but I am so thankful to have gotten the chance to be part of projects that will go on to help people.
For anyone looking for work experience in industries related to their course, I can’t recommend the Saltire Scholars Programme any further. Getting noticed by large companies is always the hardest step if you don’t have an existing connection, and becoming a Saltires candidate is the perfect bridging opportunity. Reaching the candidate pool and breaking the application process down into smaller steps can be a far more feasible thing and with the support offered by the programme’s team, so many opportunities feel instantly far more attainable and can genuinely make the difference for starting your future career.
