Mechanical Engineering Placement Student Review

I am just over halfway through the placement year. So far it has been a fantastic learning experience for me. I've had the opportunity to work with some very experienced engineers. My work is very hands on and varied so every day is interesting. As well as the work on site I have enjoyed visiting the KB machining facility in Corsham, a team building afternoon go-karting, a fantastic Christmas party and I will be going out to Munich with the other placement students in March.

I have settled in very well into the mechanical team. I have been given plenty of responsibility and I think I am considered a valued member of the team. I have a review every couple of months with the team leader to get some feedback on how I am doing and to report on how I think the placement is going. The whole team made a great effort to ensure that I'm happy and that I have plenty of work to do. I expected that the first month of a placement would be a bit slow, but actually I found myself pretty busy within a couple of weeks.

I sit on the same pod of tables as my team leader and I regularly ask him questions or ask him to check over my work and he is always happy to do so. I get the majority of my support/guidance from my team leader rather than by management. Also, there are very experienced and knowledgeable engineers in my team that are very approachable and always ready to answer any questions I have or give me a hand with some work. In addition, placement students have regular meetings with the companies graduates, this is another opportunity to voice any concerns or ask any questions.

Never stuck for something to do. I've either got reports to write at my desk or practical work to do down in the technical centre. At the same time I haven't often found myself overloaded with work. I have a weekly team meeting to discuss the tasks upcoming in the week and this helps me keep on top of all of my work.

I am an important part of the team, I have been given a lot of responsibility in my time here and my team trust me to deliver on the work I am given. I am happy to be given the responsibility especially because I know if I ever get stuck with something I will be given the guidance and support needed to complete the task.

The skills I have developed so far will undoubtable assist me in my degree and make me a better engineer in the future. I have been given an invaluable insight into what it is to be an engineer. I have developed practical engineering skills and gained a knowledge of thermodynamics that will serve me well in the rest of my degree. I have also developed my report writing skills which is an important part of any degree.

It's a good working environment. There is always time for a laugh and everyone is very approachable. As a result of the flexi-time policy there are always quiet periods in the morning or in the evening when you can get your head down and concentrate on work. There is a very relaxed atmosphere in the office on a 'dress down' Friday.

Very well organised. Before I even started work they had organised for all the placement student to get to know each other over an evening meal, this meant I felt more comfortable on my first day as I already knew a few people around the office. They also ensured we had all the training we needed to get started as we had a 2 day workshop within a couple of weeks of starting.

We had a 2 day training course very early on in the year for us to get to know the company properly. I have also had informal training on inspection equipment and will be receiving formal training on how to use shock and vibration equipment. I would have liked to have had some training in using the drill, milling machine and lathe that are down in the technical centre.

I would be very keen to come back to the company in the future. Knorr-Bremse has a graduate scheme and only students that have been on the placement scheme are recruited onto it. Knorr-Bremse are a great company to work for and the rail industry is growing, so a job with the company in future would be very appealing.

Yes, socials are held about once a month. So we have been for drinks, a meal, go-karting and bowling. All placement students tend to eat lunch together and we have a general meeting and catch up over breakfast once a month. A number of placement students also play 5 a side once a week in a sports centre around the corner. I also got to socialise with the mechanical team on an away day where we went go karting and then for a meal and a few drinks in the night.

I commute to KB Melksham from Bath, and the cost of living in Bath is quite high. However it's a great place to live and there's always something to do.

I'm not sure how great the nightlife is in Melksham, but the nightlife in Bath where I commute from is pretty good. There are plenty of great pubs, bars and resteraunts and Bristol has a fantastic nightlife and that's not too far away.