I believe there are two very important reasons to participate in a year in industry. The first is to make you more employable when you finish your time in Sheffield. We are often told that employers look very favourably towards students with the skills that many will not learn from a three year BEng or four year MEng alone and this is true.

However, most importantly, it gives me a better idea of what I want to do when I graduate. It has made me realise there are jobs out there that I'd love to do but have never considered before. On the other hand, I now realise that certain elements I looked for in a role no longer appeal to me.

I first heard of Renishaw during a MEC304 Manufacturing Systems lecture with Dr Tom Slatter. I then met a member of the Renishaw graduate and placement recruitment team at the placement fair at the university.

As a member of the Measurement Automation Products Division (MAPD), most of my work has centred around the Equator gauging system. However, I have also been exposed to a variety of projects away from the Equator too.

Most recently, I designed and built a test rig for investigating the fatigue life of a component. The rig has significantly developed my knowledge of pneumatics and electronics.

I have had lots of opportunities to design components, before then producing engineering drawings for these parts throughout the year. I am also fully trained on our Mazak Nexus CNC machines, which then allows me to manufacture the parts I have designed.

Renishaw have been world leaders in the field of metrology since their formation in 1973, following Sir David McMurtry's invention of the touch-trigger probe. It is exciting working on projects that will then be supplied to the largest manufacturers across a wide variety of industries.

I found that a lot of the learning at university involved me writing up lecture slides every day. This then made many of the practical, hands-on tasks at Renishaw a real challenge. However, these skills have improved gradually throughout the year.

I now feel I have a better idea about the type of career I would like to follow once I have finished my fourth and final year in Sheffield. By gaining a year of experience now, I feel I will be able to reach my long-term goals sooner.

Given that Renishaw primarily operates in the manufacturing industry, I found modules such as MEC304 Manufacturing Systems have provided me with a good background knowledge. Fundamental modules such as mechanics have also been useful, along with the design modules.