Mechanical Engineer - Industrial Placement Review

This placement gave me the boost in enthusiasm for Mechanical Engineering that I needed, to return to my studies and attain a high class degree.

On a social level, we were family. On a professional level, I was as valued as I could be with my level of qualification and skill set.

Constant support, encouragement and mentioning. Consistent progress tracking to ensure improvements made in personal development.

Flow of work depended on the project as a whole and was out of the control of any individual. As with any job, there were times of peak workload, and others of (rare) boredom.

Aside from the top level decisions, I was given free reign over the vast majority of the project I was running, and my recommendations were taken into consideration by higher management.

Absolutely invaluable; far beyond assisting me in my degree. A plethora of training available and skills gained.

The office I sat in was dedicated to the project I was working for. This meant that everyone in that office was a part of the same team. It was very friendly and social environment to work in, but professional and with an appropriate "working atmosphere". Being surrounded by the people you work with encourages better working relationships.

The main flaw in the organisation of the placement was IT. There are a large number of separate websites and systems used for anything from clocking to document management. This caused several issues as a new starter trying to get set up, however aside from the IT, the logistics of the placement were managed incredibly well!

There is a huge amount of investment in employee training, both in providing courses free of charge (some mandatory, others there for your own choosing) and also in funding training in other courses that can’t be provided for free. All of these courses are work related, and it is possible for an employee to avoid all optional training, however I can’t imagine anyone wanting to do so.

Nearing the end of my placement, I was offered a job to join their graduate development framework (GDF) subject to attaining a 2:1 in my university degree. This is a 2 year long program, consisting of multiple placements within different business units and projects, to gain a greater understanding of what is available within the company when choosing an exit role (permanent position).

There is a great amount of social interaction with other placement/intern students as well as graduates on the previously mentioned GDF. There is a quarterly conference held for these groups of people to air any concerns and combine experiences to support each other. Outside of work, social event are often arranged as well.

My personal experience of living in the area, from a financial point of view, has been very positive. I have been able to house share with one other person and live comfortably on little more than I would have been spending at university living the “student lifestyle”. This has meant I have been able to save for future travel plans.

This year, I haven’t been particularly involved with the local “nightlife”, so my feedback is limited. However, from my few experiences as well as feedback from other placement/intern students and grad (as well as other friends in the area) there are a large number of pubs and clubs available in the area.

There were few activities outside of work that were organised by the company of representatives thereof. However myself, friends and many other placement/intern/grads organised plenty of our own events outside of work, and there is plenty to do or see in the surrounding areas, as well as good rail connections to London.