Claire Bruce

Tell us about your role and what attracted you to Ford Motor Company? I joined Ford as an Intern, focusing on Body Integration Engineering. My main task was to oversee the weight change from current Transit Custom to a new model of the vehicle. This involved a lot of communication between the body Engineers, the weight team and project management. I was responsible for managing my own data files, clearly showing any discrepancies that were found, and then working with the Engineers to resolve any issues.

The Internship was both challenging and rewarding! I was initially attracted to the company based on my interest in cars and the automotive industry, and Ford is one of the biggest automotive employers in the UK. I heard a lot of positive things about working for the company and after working for them I can confirm they’re true, my overall experience was extremely positive!

How do you see yourself developing at Ford Motor Company? I see a great potential for personal development at Ford. For example, in September, I’m returning on the Graduate scheme. Doing the Internship really helped with being considered for the Graduate scheme as I gained invaluable experience in my area of interest. In addition, Ford supports my progression towards Chartered Engineer status with the IMechE, this is something I started during my Internship and I’ll continue when I return. There’s also a wide variety of opportunities and roles at Ford, to suit your area of interest.

What’s the most exciting project you have worked on? One of the most exciting projects I was able to work on during my Internship was seeing the process of designing vehicles. This included seeing the designs and concepts on paper, before seeing them as clay models. It was very interesting to get an insight into future models a number of years before the vehicles are released. The design process is one of the most exciting and intriguing parts of the process as the engineering, design and management departments work together to come up with, and agree on, the most suitable deign.

What has working for Ford Motor Company taught you? The learning experience during my Internship has been great. I learnt a great deal about the specifics of working within a multinational company and its everyday running. It was also a fantastic opportunity to be able to develop my professional interpersonal skills, having to be able to communicate clearly and effectively to a wide range of people, which also included presenting in meetings. My organisation skills were also developed as I had to make sure I was able to meet deadlines on time or have plans in place to overcome a delay in work time.