Project Management Placement

Natasha

Business

Placement (10 Months+)

Cummins

What did you do on a daily basis?

My role enabled me to get involved in a wide variety of tasks and each day brought something different. Primarily I worked as part of a team on projects and helped to co-ordinate them, including organising schedules and resources. As part of the Europe, Middle East and Africa team I was involved in the launch of a new Joint Venture entity in Qatar, where I supported the lead project manager.

During my placement I was given the opportunity to gain exposure to specific functions, including IT and Finance. I gained understanding of financial planning and business strategy, which developed my awareness of how a multi-national organisation operates.

Highlights of the job?

The key highlight of my placement was the exposure to a wide variety of people, internally and externally to Cummins. I frequently spoke to people from different countries, functions and levels in the organisation. This strongly developed my communication skills and led to me having the opportunity to present one of my projects at a leadership meeting.

Cummins invests in their employees and I was able to attend various training courses during my placement. This helped to develop my knowledge and insight into the company, and also enabled me to meet more people within Cummins.

What did you learn on your placement?

My industrial placement at Cummins was a very fulfilling experience and a steep learning curve. I have been able to link theories that I have learnt at University to real situations, including areas which were previously outside of my comfort zone. I have strongly developed my communication and project management skills, and am now more responsible for my workload.

This will be crucial in my final year at university and I am more comfortable to lead projects in the future. The experiences I have had during placement have helped me focus on what direction I want to take my future career.