Industrial Placement - Engineering Review

I enjoyed working in Mondelez. I was placed at one of the smaller sites, which meant I was able to get involved in many functions of the business. I feel I would not have got this same experience had I been placed at one of the larger sites. I got to work across engineering and R&D and was given responsibility for various projects. There has been so much work I have done which will be extremely valuable for my CV.

As part of a smaller site, I got to work with almost all of my colleagues. They have shown me that I am a trusted member of the team by involving me in many projects and knowing when to include me so I can learn something new. All of the staff here have been very welcoming and friendly since my first day and I really feel like part of the team here.

My manager has a lot of experience in process engineering and it has been fantastic working and learning from him. He has always included me in projects to give me the most varied experience and I know that his priority has always been for me to learn the most I can. He has also offered support in applying for future jobs.

The workload varied. Some weeks would be very busy with lots to do, with earlier starts and later finishes. Other weeks could be a lot quieter. I found this worked well for me as the quieter weeks allowed me to offer help in projects I may not have been involved in, so I got a lot more from the experience and the busier weeks would help me to learn how to balance my workload.

I project managed a new product development from development to launch. This was a big responsibility as this product will be sold in shops soon. I was also involved in a lot of business critical investigations and process developments. I think I was given a lot of responsibility for an intern but I feel like I had to earn that - which is reasonable to expect.

I now have so many examples of work I have carried out that I will be able to use when interviewing for graduate jobs. I have also improved my report writing skills and leadership skills with the project I have managed. I have learned to be adaptable to different teams and situations too. Working with the supply chain leadership is very different to working with operators and I had to adjust daily to these situations.

I had a lot of fun in my office. Other offices were quite different though. My office was quite loud as we all spoke through issues we were having or ideas that we had. I like this atmosphere as I really felt part of a team. We also had a good balance of serious and fun. We could all identify if someone was really busy so knew to keep quieter. I have really enjoyed working here and I think my office environment has definitely contributed to this. Had I been sat in some of the other offices at this site I may not have enjoyed it quite as much.

I was hired by mondelez and this was done at Bourneville. I was then placed in Crediton (Devon). I come from Glasgow so I was moving quite far. I was given dates of when I would be contacted and when I could visit the site and meet the people I would be working with. I was never given any of this. So I had to contact Mondelez to get some information. The first I spoke to my line manager was a week before I started. I found out that he was not told I was coming. I think the organisation of this placement could have been a lot better. I would have appreciated more communication, especially as I had to get accommodation somewhere so far away.

I was told I would have the opportunity to achieve a Green Belt award. This was not something the Crediton site was aware of and they were unable to offer this. I found this quite disappointing. However I have attended a lot of training sessions which will be applicable to future jobs and are accredited by professional bodies which will be recognised in many industries and jobs.

I think the recruitment process is cut down for the graduate scheme.

I was the only student on placement at my site.

I was in Exeter which is quite expensive.

It was ok. It wasn't Glasgow though.

I was part of the companies Netball team.