Test Engineer Review

Throughout the placement I got to work with some great people on a large range of varied projects. As an introduction to the real world of engineering I don't think it could have been much more enjoyable. I do feel I was pushed into challenging situations that I wouldn't have volunteered for, however once involved I really got into the challenges.

From the first day I started to build friendships with the most supportive, friendly and knowledgable people I have ever had the chance to work with. They trusted me and considered my thoughts and opinions. I knew if I needed anything at all I just had to ask. I wasn't treated as an outsider, or even as an inexperienced student, I was always treated as part of the team.

My line manager was always available to guide me in terms of professionalism, Caterpillar, and general engineering knowledge. The workshop supervisors always supported me by answering my questions and arranging parts, fitters and trucks for me to work on. Most of my support and guidance came from the test engineers I worked with daily. Their combined experience meant any questions I had always had an answer from one of them. They also helped me to get started with standard practises and the test equipment.

For the first few weeks it was a rather slow working day, I was getting introductions, training, getting to know the trucks I was going to be working on and the equipment I would be working with. After the first month or so my workload started to increase, I always had projects to work on. Be it report writing, test data collection, data analysis, machine instrumentation/de-instrumentation and research/learning. About half way through the placement I was considered a fully fledged test engineer, I was able to pick up new projects as and when I was required to, just as the other test engineers would.

I took a variety of roles through my placement including project manager, test engineer, instrumentation, researcher, data analyser, trainer and designer. I worked on a variety of CPI, NPI, cost reduction, efficiency and research projects. taking on the different roles during 20+ of these projects. For each of the projects I was involved in I had some sort of responsibility, be it responsible for ordering a part, writing a report, conducting a test or getting a truck to a customer on time.

I developed project and time management skills, data analysis and professional report writing skills, test engineering and electrical/electronic engineering skills. All of which will be extremely useful when I return to university this year and hopefully in my career as an engineer, skills of which I have massively developed over the past year. Training courses in engineering, business and brand advocacy should also help me as a professional throughout university and my career.

The four person pods in the office I worked in were brilliant, you worked together in an even closer team than the wider team but you also had your own space. It was easy to tell when people were concentrating and working to deadlines compared to when people were waiting for information from others. I had a good relationship with everybody in the office, we chatted, worked and laughed throughout the year.

My placement was the first of the kind at this particular facility doing my particular role. This meant there was no structured learning and development plan. However this is also partly down to the nature of the role of a test engineer. I feel this placement could have been run a little better if there was some communication between the apprentice and placement/graduate managers across the company and other facilities.

A colleague spent a lot of time with my explaining the systems employed by Caterpillar. I was also given basic training of software and equipment as and when I needed it by the test engineers. My manager was understanding and supportive of my during the placement. I do feel I should have been assigned a mentor during my time to further assist my development.

The graduate scheme at Caterpillar is very attractive, the potential with such a company is amazing and especially for such a young engineer. Most facilities support the development of engineering to Chartered status, a very attractive pointer. If I were to join Caterpillar after university I would expect a varied, prosperous and exciting career. The only downside is the state of the markets that Caterpillar are heavily reliant upon.

The social scene was not fantastic, however the facility is sort of out of reach. The team came from a variety of local cities, towns and villages across the North East, which made it difficult to arrange social events. Throughout the year I was involved in a christmas day trip to York, summer trip to Edinburgh, opportunities for charity events, go-karting and clay pigeon shooting.

Living in the North East is extremely cheap, however I lived in an area with poor nightlife which meant socialising was not particularly common. Be wary about where you live if you take this placement.

Non-existent. 0 stars...

Yes plenty of opportunities including golf tournaments, go-karting, clay pigeon shooting, gym, and plenty of charity events like bike riding.