About us:

Drives and Automation are one of the UK's leading System Integration and Automation companies.  From steel mills to food lines, bridges to plastics, rope to nuclear, we do it all.  If it needs to move, and it's difficult to do, this is when we get excited!

The work is varied, as a company we specialise in new system design, retrofits and upgrades, as well as some break downs and servicing.

From dealing with customer inquiries, producing quotations, selling modules or designing systems you'll have the opportunity to be involved in projects from start to completion, gaining experience and the satisfaction of showcasing your skills as you go.

If you think you've got what we are looking for, we'd love to hear from you!

People are at the heart of our business, and your talent, hard work and skills contribute to the success of Drives and Automation.

As a student on placement with us you are encouraged to learn new skills, progress and develop your potential across multiple industry sectors utilising a wide range of technologies.

Your continuing development is fostered through:

Training to enhance your skill set to successfully complete tasks
Health and Safety training
Product training
Dedicated mentor to help you develop
We don't pigeon hole you, as one of our colleagues you get to work on the complete project lifecycle, from initial quotation to final on site commissioning
Regular reviews to provide feedback and identify training needs

What we are looking for:

• Ideally an undergraduate doing a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronic Engineering  (B.Eng EEE degree).  But if your degree involves a strong element in Control Systems we'd still like to hear from you
• Someone who is inquisitive, who wants to understand how ‘things’ work and then be able to offer creative solutions to problems
• Be proficient in the use of MS Office programs, particularly Excel
• Someone who demonstrates real interest in the role and a curiosity to learn more
• An individual capable of producing work to a high standard of accuracy
• Excellent communication skills, and be comfortable working with clients at all levels and others across the business
• Be organised, able to balance workload and meet deadlines
• Be able to work under pressure but maintain excellent attention to detail
• Have an interest in motion control - how to make things move
• Have experience of programming and basic control theory
• Have a full UK driving license and access to a car as travel to clients’ sites across the country is a major part of the role (this is mandatory)
• Eligible to work in the UK

The following would be a bonus, but don’t be put off if not

• Knowledge/Experience of 2D software – particularly AutoCAD LT
• Have an interest in or experience of AC/DC Drives Systems & Motors

What are all the practical details?

• Remuneration: depending on skills and experience
• Company benefits: 20 days holiday plus bank holidays.
• Location: Unit 11 The Stables, Staveley Hall , Chesterfield, Derbyshire S43 3TN
• Start details: initially you will be required to work in the office but travel to customer sites is an important part of what we do.
• Transport and parking: free parking is available, but due to the travel requirement using public transport is not a viable option.
• Start date: Varies to suit.

What is the interview process like?

The initial interview will be by phone, this enables us to get a feel for your experience to date and what motivates you.

If that goes well then we will invite you into the office, where we will look to:

• Assess your basic knowledge of electrical components
• Maybe set you a little task programming a plc using ladder logic (nothing too complex and usually using software like TIA Portal - if you haven't used TIA, paper is also an option)
• Perhaps a quick Autocad test
• Ask you in detail about your university course modules, what you enjoyed and why
• Ask you what you know about our company
• Ask you which of our projects interests you most and why
• Ask you questions on general Electrical Engineering principles (you should have covered everything in your A level Physics / B.Eng).

The interview will last about half a day, it isn't designed to trip you up, but will enable us to start planning a training and skills programme for the successful applicant.

What will the first few weeks be like?

• We'll need to train you on our internal IT systems, get you kitted out in PPE and get you on a safety awareness course.  Without the Safety Passport we can't get you on site. 
• We'll look at your current knowledge level of the products we commonly use and put your training plan in place.
• You'll be assigned a mentor who will work with you as your skills develop
• You'll get to work alongside one of our engineers on a customer project and get to grips with our purchasing and project management systems.  You'll be given tasks to help progress the project, this could be design, HMI programming or completing drawings.
• We'll take you round the panel shop so you can get an appreciation of the work the technicians do

And after the first few weeks?

Once you are safety trained you'll start off by shadowing one of our engineers on site, either on breakdowns or assisting with the commissioning of a system.  As the months go by you'll progress to commissioning your own designs or attending breakdowns, but you'll never be on sent on site on your own unless we think you are ready for the challenge.  And when on site, help and support from other engineers is only ever a phone call away so even if you are on your own, you'll not be on your own. With hundreds of product manufacturers,  even the best of us need to ask for help from time to time.

On going Professional Development

During your year with us there are a number of industry lead training courses which we will expect you to complete as well as our own internal training courses, these cover areas such as AC & DC Drives, AC & DC Motors, sizing DBR's, PID control, STO, Regenerative drives, HMI's, PLC's and more.  These will enable you to build up your knowledge portfolio, and most have certificates of completion, so you'll have a body of evidence to present to future employers.

Why choose to work with us?

Let's be honest, it's an important decision you are about to make.  Do you want to work for a company that will encourage you to become the best engineer you can be? Where you aren't just another cog in the machine?  Where there is no such thing as a typical day? Where you can get the satisfaction of helping to design a solution to a real world problem and carry out the behind the scenes tasks that ensure the success of that project? You'll get all that and more with DnA, we can offer you:

• Friendly supportive team
• Work outings
• Personalised 1:1 training and support from our qualified engineers
• You'll get to work in a wide variety of industries
• Free parking
• All expenses covered for site work and mileage allowance
• Satisfaction of seeing your projects come to life from cradle to grave

As an independent systems integrator we use a wide variety of OEM equipment to develop the best solution for our customer, we aren't tied to just one manufacturer's products.  This flexibility offers a wide exposure to products used in industry, enabling you to further develop your skills and knowledge.

And what about afterwards?

Well we'd like to keep in touch, and if you've enjoyed your time with us and shown a talent for what we do, we would be more than happy to talk to you about a permanent role on the team when you have graduated.  This is why we offer placements, to help grow the DnA team of the future!

How to apply:

Applications now closed