Summer Internships at BitBox: An insight into life at a Business
This summer, BitBox had the pleasure of restarting our intern program. Before the effects of Covid-19, BitBox would invite interns in on a yearly basis to gain a better understanding of the working world and we’re thrilled to be able to kick-start the program again in 2022. This year we had Maddie and Jason, two college students from Basingstoke with interests in engineering and manufacturing who we had the pleasure of working with over the past 8 weeks, predominantly on our shop floor.
The Journey
The first impression that you give to an intern is incredibly important; you want them to be relaxed and feel like a part of the team, rather than giving them a daunting environment to get used to. Naturally, we were incredibly happy when both Maddie and Jason said their first day was the most memorable moment at the business. They both expressed how surprised they were about the relaxed environment that BitBox promotes, expecting a stricter environment, and this was a running theme when talking to each of them. Over a series of three Q&A style interviews, both were asked ten questions about their time at BitBox, ranging from who made their experiences what they were and the skills that they’ve learnt. Some of the skills they learnt related to the job specifically, but also soft skills such as communication between different teams, and problem-solving. When asked at the start of their internship what they’d like to get out of their time here, Maddie said “learning how a business environment feels” whilst Jason said “test components and assembly of complete units”, it’s fair to say they achieved what they wanted and more! One thing that surprised our interns about working here was the relaxed atmosphere that BitBox endorses. Chris Chaney, our sales manager and member of the management team said “if you can create an environment where people want to wake up and come to every day, you’re doing something right. It’s great for them personally, it’s great for everyone around them and it’s great for us as a business”.
It is important to note that the interns time at BitBox would not have been what it was without those who supervised and looked out for them. There are countless employees who spent time with Maddie and Jason so they could get the most out of their time. Special mention goes to Lee, Pam, Dave, David and Tom for the time they spent with the interns to make their time enjoyable and for welcoming them into the company with open arms.
The Future
Now that both interns have finished their time with us, what does the future hold for them? Both Jason and Maddie are back to college; Maddie to finish her A-levels at QMC and Jason to finish his extended diploma at BCOT. While in his second year at BCOT, Jason will be undertaking an industry placement which he has decided to complete at BitBox! This means he will be rejoining us once a week to continue his journey with us. Additionally, both Maddie and Jason have been offered summer positions for next year due their hard work and how well they got on with the team. In their time with us next year, both have mentioned goals they’d like to get. Jason would like to improve his soldering skills as well as try some coding. Maddie would like to spend some time with internal comms, to see how that area of the business operates. She would also like to spend some time with our engineering department, which fits nicely with her plans to study Physics at university.
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