Undergraduate Facilities & Technical Support Engineer Review

I have definitely enjoyed my placement at Vauxhall Motors. I feel very much valued by other members of staff and have had great responsibility in the form of various projects for various departments throughout my time here. The experience I have gained alongside having GM as a parent company on my CV will most definitely help with future employment after I've completed my degree.

I have never been treated like a student whilst on placement here. I have always been given the respect of all other employees and my work has always reflected this. This is seen in the work & projects set by other members of staff, certainly no tea-making here. Employees understand you are still in training and potentially in your first real job experience but don't treat you differently because of this, you are still given real-life projects with real-life responsibilities.

There are always 2 other members of staff in the office more than happy to help out with any queries. On top of this, Vauxhall also offer personal mentors outside of your department who are not subject to any conflicts of interest and can help you with issues that maybe your management cannot, personal or professional. The advantage of being part of GM Europe means you have contact with one of the worlds most advanced workforce's so even if no-one in your department or even site can aid you, help is just a call or email away which has been brilliant and some more specialised, technical projects.

The work has been pretty full on here at Vauxhall. At some points its been pretty tough to keep on top of it all but this teaches you the important organisational life skills vital to future work. That being said, some projects have been very challenging to find the time for whilst keeping up with daily or departmental responsibilities. However I feel it's important not to protect students away from this real-life working scenario as it teaches them important skills for later working life in terms of managing work-life balance, time management and organisational skills.

I have been given plenty of responsibility whilst at Vauxhall. Not only have I been set daily and departmental tasks & projects, I have also found myself helping out with various other departments on whole-site projects that have real life implications on performance. Having spoken to some of my friends who are also on placement, Vauxhall are the only company to allow placement students to opportunity to project manage certain projects giving them the highest level of responsibility.

My placement is quite broad whilst my degree is very specialised hence the slightly lower rating. However my placement has helped me gain important professional skills such as team building, communication and project planning that I feel will be very useful in my future car. As well as this, the broad disciplines I cover on a daily basis in my role helps to make me a better rounded professional, something that will look great on my CV

I work with 3 others and my manager in our office. We're always very busy as our department covers maintenance and engineering procedures across an entire warehouse site. Despite this, everyone is always willing to help each other out or if they can't personally, willing to help you find someone that can.

The set-up for the placement has been completely seamless. There are members of HR staff dedicated to the undergraduate and apprenticeship scheme ensuring everything runs smoothly. There is also a dedicated HR undergraduate for the undergraduate scheme so you can talk about any queries to someone of a similar age and understanding which is great.

Vauxhall has been incredibly welcoming and encouraging of its undergraduates. Within our first couple of weeks we have presentations by each of the Vauxhall Directors with Q&A sessions. These were a fantastic opportunity for undergrads to ask questions about career progression into their chosen field. This culminated in a presentation with the then Vauxhall CEO Tim Tozer which is far and beyond what most companies would provide.

I chose facilities engineering as it is a very broad spectrum of engineering disciplines whilst my degree is quite a specialised. Therefore I have used my placement to gain a broader understanding of the links between these disciplines. However, I would still like to work within the Motorsport or Performance Automotive sector which is very difficult currently with Vauxhall.

Vauxhall employs a large amount of undergraduates in comparison with our companies. As a result there is a large community of like-minded students on placement here with a fantastic social scene. Vauxhall actively encourage undergraduates to live together in Vauxhall-approved housing which only increases this. Before we had even arrived, a facebook group had been set up and has been frequently used to organise social events and keep our strong social scene alive.

Luton is relatively cheap given its close proximity with London. However the town itself is in dire need of regeneration. Socialising is slightly more expensive but still not too dear. There is a wide range of housing available in Luton to suit any budget though which is good but it's still not quite a cheap as further northern towns & cities.

For nights out we tend to avoid Luton and head to surrounding towns such as Harpenden, St. Albans or Milton Keynes. Luton itself is looking pretty tired in modern times and its nightlife reflects this, That being said, Luton is under an hour from Central London so the opportunity for great nights out is definitely there but as far as local nights out are concerned, it's not the best.

Vauxhall offers 1 CSR day per year to all employees (2 for undergraduates as we start in July). As part of Vauxhall's social responsibility programme, employees are offered the chance to work one paid day a year with a local charity or foundation and make a genuine difference for local communities. This experience is incredibly rewarding and paints a great picture for Vauxhall within local communities.