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Attended the Discovery Day UK - Geoscience, Petroleum & Reservoir Engineering programme. It was a great experience as the BP hosts were engaging and happy to answer any questions we had. Also, accommodation was paid for as I had to stay overnight since the Discovery Day started early the next day. Overall, the company gave a lot of attention to the attendees.

Over the course of the day, I met many people from the company, all willing to answer questions and explain more about the company and their jobs. It really seemed as though HR was considering us for further internship opportunities as this was the chance to get to know different departments in the Geoscience, Petroleum & Reservoir Engineering area.

Not much guidance was given. As this consisted of a single day, it was mostly presentations, some networking and a few team exercises. Otherwise, I had a seamless experience arriving at Aberdeen and staying in a hotel the prior night (recommend the Travelodge in the city centre). This was all thanks to support from HR who were really helpful in recommending places to stay and reimbursing the travel expenses once the Discovery Day was over.

All the information was helpful as I was already considering a career in Oil & Gas prior to the Discovery Day. Most of the information in the presentations was generic. However the most interesting part was talking to employees to gain first hand insight into the company and ways of working. In terms of my degree, the information I gained was useful in the sense that it helped complement my knowledge of the industry which came in handy during assessment centres or interviews.

At the beginning of the day, we were given a schedule of all upcoming events. Presenters stuck to the timetable and there were no late starters. It felt very well organized and cohesive as it started with an overview of the company, then overview of different departments and finally scope for deepening my understanding by talking to people in the departments that interested me.

As we were all first or second year Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵs, we could relate to not having much previous experience in industry and having an interest in Oil & Gas. The atmosphere was very friendly and everyone was fully engaged in the Discovery Day, showing that attendees had a real passion for the industry. From the part of HR and guest speakers, everything was very relaxed and designed to make us feel at ease to make the most out of the Discovery Day.

There wasn't scope for personal training or development as it was just a day. Nevertheless, BP took on charge of the costs of my travel expenses and accommodation the night prior to the Discovery Day. HR was very helpful to recommend travel routes and hotels as well as to reimburse the expenses once the Discovery Day was over. The company seemed really keen to invest in young people to develop their skills from what I gathered talking to graduates in the company.

The Discovery Day offered a few opportunities to have a chat with employees, both senior and graduates alike, about their jobs and the company in general. I felt though that the time allotted to these face to face events was really short and only offered the chance to ask 2 or 3 questions to employees. I'd recommend people interested in the Discovery Day to come with questions prepared to make the most out of the experience.

As mentioned before, there was little time to have a chat with employees in between the different events organized. However, having a tour of the Aberdeen office showed the work ethic of people working at BP. The floors were quiet and very professional, also the people were friendly and helpful most of the time. I'd say BP came across as an organized company with vision as all employees consistently knew the direction it was heading for.

I was already set on going into Oil & Gas before attending this Discovery Day. But this event helped me gain further insight into the industry and BP as a company. For those unsure about which industry is the right one for them, insights like these can be really helpful as it's only a day and doesn't require the full time commitment of a summer internship. Also, it gives a lot to talk about during interviews or assessment centres and shows people's willingness and interest in the industry.

HR quickly reimbursed the expenses paid for both travel (flight) and accommodation the night prior to the Discovery Day. The company was helpful in suggesting travel routes and hotels for accommodation (would definitely recommend Travelodge in Aberdeen city centre for an overnight stay). I'd say it took less than a month after the Discovery Day for the company to reimburse these expenses.

In between talks and events, there were a few moments alotted to talking to employees. I felt though as they were very short and rushed as we had another presentation just 5 minutes afterwards. There was really time to ask only 2 to 3 questions. I have to say however that employees were really friendly and happy to answer questions so would recommend anyone interested to come with questions prepared to make the most out of the Discovery Day.

No opportunities as it was only a one day event.

BP did mention some extracurricular activities for employees such as sports clubs, social events from the graduate network and charity opportunities. Employees seemed to take advantage of these opportunities and the consensus was that the offering was diverse enough to cater for any interests. I was particularly interested in socials from the fraduate network as they were varied in nature and subsidized most of the time. Finally, BP has many ties with charities so there is plenty of opportunity to engage in social work.

It is a risk free way to learn about the Oil & Gas industry and BP in general. You don't have the full time commitment of a summer internship and it can be very valuable experience for first/second year undergraduate Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵs with little industry experience. Also, it can potentially lead to a summer internship in BP if followed up the next year or a great topic of discussion during interviews or assessment centres. Would definitely recommend to anyone with the slightest interest in the Oil & Gas industry.