Eddie Brown is an engineering intern at Bentley Motors and is on a one year placement as part of his degree course. Moving On asked him how he’s been getting on…

Eddie works as part of the ergonomics team at Bentley Motors which involves testing products in relation to the human body. He talked to Moving On about this fascinating internship in car manufacturing.

It was apparent to me that choosing a degree that was both interesting and would make me employable was crucial.

I studied economics, Spanish and psychology at A-level but design has always been an area of interest for me.

When it came time to choosing what to do next I felt that striving for a vocation that I would enjoy was equally as important as going into a field of work-based on aptitude. So, it was apparent to me that choosing a degree that was both interesting and which would make me employable was crucial, especially with the tuition fee increase.

I am studying for a BSc in Ergonomics and Human Factors at Loughborough University. It’s a four-year degree which requires a year out in industry. I was lucky enough to gain a place on the internship programme at Bentley and I will return to Loughborough for my final year in September 2015.

The experience gained from my placement is invaluable. It has given me a chance to apply what I have learned through real projects and I can use the new skills and work ethic that I have gained to better understand my course at university.

Bentley is owned by Volkswagen which also owns many other motor companies around the world and I think that living and working in a different culture would be an enriching experience.

I also plan on doing some courses on computer programming and Adobe Illustrator to be more qualified for jobs in interaction and user experience design as I’ve enjoyed being involved in projects concerning human-machine interaction as well as investigating women’s needs in the automotive design process.”