Undergraduate Trainee Review

The placement was certainly enjoyable. The work varied often enough so I wasn’t always doing the same thing. There were occasional dips in the work load where I felt a bit bored but that doesn’t tend to last very long. I would have liked to do more testing and things that get me away from my desk but I believe that I probably didn’t take full advantage of the opportunities as they came up.

My colleagues were always happy to help and put up with me asking plenty of questions. I believe I fit into my team well. My morning routine did also include getting a cup of coffee from the canteen at 8am. Also, there were plenty of laughs and some decent banter.

My manager always managed to find time for any questions I had, relating to my project or something about the placement in general. This was impressive as I’ve seen his calendar and I’m surprised he had time for lunch. He was also able to guide me through one of my tasks as it was a new concept for me and helped me with the things to research so I could complete it, semi-independently.

On a daily basis, I was mostly busy. Not overloaded with work (although that did happen a few times), but busy enough to make the day go by quickly. Occasionally, I did feel bored but this wasn’t very often. There was always something to do and the opportunity to do something different.

I wasn’t given an excessive amount of responsibility as in any project or deliverable I was working on was always with at least one other person. When it came down to individual tasks however, I was expected to do them on my own and fairly quickly. Similarly, it was also expected to chase up people when needed and be proactive in my approach towards my work.

I believe I was perfectly placed in relation to my course. Since looking at my course material for next year, I have found a lot of overlap between some of the principles I learnt here and the course syllabus. Electronics isn’t my strongest subject but I feel like the courses and training that I received here have certainly helped that.

The office is open plan so you could see and talk to everyone. The office is never silent or oppressive (for want of a better word) but there is always that sense that everyone is busy and has things to do. Having said that, they will always make time for you no matter how busy they are.

It was mostly very well organised. However, I came across the sponsorship scheme that I am currently on, purely by chance. I felt it wasn’t advertised as well as it could have been. But we were given the chance to voice our concerns. We were also given a project with a number of deliverables which help break down the project into bite-size pieces. Besides an immediate manager, you are also given another contact within the team to help get you started and into the swing of things.

As I am on the sponsorship scheme, the company has invested £1500 in me on the condition that I come back for my next placement. I also took part in a number of electronics courses which also included training for a software called LTSpice. As a perk, JLR provides £200 to take up a course (either one that is in the area or a course of your choosing). This is a fantastic opportunity to develop a skill outside the workplace.

I would like to come back to work for JLR. There are always opportunities to move departments or within your department if you want a chance to do something different. There are quite a lot of perks to being an employee, including a pension scheme and the chance to work from home as well. The thing that appeals to me the most is it’s busy.

There was a good social scene amongst other placement students. As there were a large number of 3 month placement students, JLR recommended that we stay at Liberty Point in Coventry. This meant there was always something happening every weekend and a few things happening during the week (football yoga, or bingo).

In Gaydon, there is a shop and a canteen on site. It’s a little expensive so I wouldn’t recommend eating there for lunch every day. In Coventry, it’s much cheaper. Liberty Point gives a discount if you’re paying rent in one go. There’s also a Lidl and Iceland about 5 mins away plus a cost cutters up the road. A lot of pubs nearby are owned by Wetherspoons so those are a tad expensive but there are ways around that.

The nightlife in Coventry was average. There were plenty of pubs and house parties, and the odd club. However, I wouldn’t want to be in Coventry on my own at night. Usually, there is something organised by people at Liberty Point. As for Gaydon, I wouldn’t know as I never stayed long enough to explore the area, usually just wanted to get home from work.

There weren’t as many opportunities to socialise outside of work. There were a couple of events such as the graduate networking ball which was extended to include undergraduates. There are a number of activities outside of work for graduates. This is the first year, as far as I am aware, which extends a few events to undergraduate placement students.