Ben Wang says he’s ‘gained vital industry-specific knowledge and technical competencies’ that he would never have had the opportunity to learn elsewhere.
Having joined Unipart’s graduate programme in 2024, Ben is now on his second of three six-month placements having just completed his placement at Unipart’s rail team as a graduate mechanical engineer. His latest placement is at Unipart Construction Technologies as a Design Engineer.
Ben explained what he’s been up to so far: “My roles and responsibilities have been varied due to the nature of the rail industry. After receiving a baseline understanding of the industry, I started working with the research and innovation team, exploring new avenues and technologies that can be brought into the rail industry to generate more resilience, improve efficiency, and reduce environmental impact.
“Being a fresh academic graduate, getting on site with customers and seeing how engineering work can affect and support the real-world industry has been the most valuable part of the programme for me. As I spent my time in university working on hypothetical and research-based projects, working on real projects with tangible results has been a game changer. It’s been really exciting to be part of the movement to introduce new thinking and ideas.”
Now 12 months on from joining the programme, Ben reflected on his application process and first few weeks at Unipart: “The online application, online assessment centre, and final in-person event was a really streamlined and enjoyable process. We all really feel how honest and genuine Unipart was in finding the right candidates – I could truly show who I was; academically, professionally, and personally.”
“I received constant support from my managers, colleagues, and the learning systems that are in place, and had the chance to visit Unipart sites, start working on trains, and see new innovations. The culture of having a growth mindset and striving for excellence was felt by all the graduates immediately.”
With just over six months remaining on his programme, Ben has already seen rapid developments in his knowledge, understanding and skills. He explained: “I’ve gained vital industry-specific knowledge and technical competencies that I would never have had the opportunity to learn elsewhere. I’ve also benefited a great deal from the soft skills I’ve gained, such as time management and communication.
“I’ve particularly benefitted from Unipart leader’s committed approach to the graduates development. Having the chance to speak with CEO Darren Leigh and CPO Vicki Hooper inspired me to continue to develop myself each day and grow both professionally and personally.”