OUR PLACEMENTS

Placement summary

AES Solar based in the beautiful area of Moray has an exciting summer placement available for a student with a technical or engineering background.  This 10 – 12 week role will involve working across departments, gaining an understanding of AES’ products and systems and providing usage and issue resolution guides for installers, system owners and in-house users. Placement length will be determined by when the student requires to return to university.

Job description

Project Description

AES Solar is a rapidly expanding manufacturer and installer of solar systems, in terms of both company size and international outreach. With this type of expansion there is a need to deliver a full understanding of solar systems throughout the business and with partners. This knowledge must be spread to system installers, suppliers, system owners and in-house support. Particularly, all parties must be efficiently taught about correct practices and procedures to gain the most from a solar system, avoid issues and effectively solve issues as or when they may arise.

The student will undertake a project to gain a full understanding of all AES products and systems and identify the most effective procedures for identifying and resolving all possible engineering issues. This will involve spending time with all departments, specifically design, engineering, manufacture and installation teams. After gaining valuable first-hand knowledge at every stage of both solar PV and solar thermal systems, the student will then present a determination and guide of best technical processes and issue resolution.

The main physical outcome of this project will be individual usage guides and issue resolution guides for system installers, system owners and in-house. These will likely be in the form of step-by-step guides, schematics and organograms. Optionally, the student may provide a guide on which issues should be handled with each issue.

This will be a unique and innovative project as the student will learn and develop processes for products, some of which are unique to AES Solar. This project will drastically improve productivity, with a particular focus on international supply/install partnerships where communication can be open to failures. Over and above the engineering experience, the student will gain vital physical and digital design experience

Placement Objectives

This 10 – 12 week role will involve working across departments, gaining an understanding of AES’ products and systems and providing usage and issue resolution guides for installers, system owners and in-house users.

Role Description

Specific tasks of the placement will include:

 

Task/Activity to be achieved	Expected result of task/activity	Date task/activity will be achieved
Spend time with the design, engineering, manufacturing and installation departments	Gain full understanding of processes and current challenges	Week 2-4
Develop and produce guides that have a customer focus	Guides for customers	Week 5-6
Develop and produce guides that have an in-house focus	Guides for in-house	Week 7-8
Develop and produce installer guidance	Guides for installers	Weeks 9-10
Redefine tasks and propose alternative solutions	Produce final draft of guides	Weeks 11-12 (Timescales dependant on students availability)

This position is part funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the European Regional Development Fund.

Qualifications

Open to all current undergraduate degree students who will return to their studies after the summer.  All candidates will be considered provided they have the required skills.

Skills / Experience

Essential Skills

1. Engineering or technical background
2. Interest in solar and renewables
3. Excellent communication skills
4. Computer literacy
5. Thirst for knowledge
6. Ability to both work as a team and show initiative

Desirable Skills

1. Experience in solar
2. Experience in Documentation Creation
3. Digital design experience

Benefits

Company benefits

• As the only manufacturer of solar thermal and a top provider of Solar PV in the area, the student will gain first-hand experience of the industry.
• The student will develop new skills, particularly communication, technical problem solving and digital design.
• The student will benefit from the opportunity to lead a team and be trusted with important decisions.

Placement benefits

As part of this ScotGrad Summer Placement Programme you will have access to a tailored business skills training course. ScotGrad placements also offer a unique opportunity to connect with a vast network of students, graduates and ScotGrad alumni. All students appointed through the programme are encouraged to use the ScotGrad LinkedIn group to communicate with other ScotGrad participants, learn about any professional development opportunities, including any relevant networking events and build up a professional network.

Additional information

Location: Forres

Preferred start date: 11/07/2016

Company information

AES are based in the North of Scotland, serving the Highlands, Moray, Aberdeenshire and further afield. They specialise in solar thermal and photovoltaic installations for domestic and commercial use.  AES has an enviable portfolio of large scale commercial installations and can offer services to the construction industry from full installation to commissioning only.  In addition, AES is able to offer regular service and support contracts for system users.

Company sector: Energy Low Carbon Renewables

Company website: www.aessolar.co.uk

Placement contact details: Josh King
01309 676 911