Engineering-Placement 12 Months Review

My time spend at Caterpillar was very enjoyable due to the range in work and the relaxed, friendly atmosphere. There was never a day that I did not want to go into work, and I often looked forward to new challenges that a day may bring. On some occasions the job could be slow due to lack of work and there was slight boredom, but this would never last long as something new would always come up.

I felt very valued by my colleagues within the Engineering department. They respected the work I was doing, and on numerous occasions would trust my work to further enhance their own work. I grew the trust of my colleagues and was able to complete tasks as a normal engineer and not have someone look over my shoulder checking everything I was doing.

Support and guidance was always there when I needed it, be it from my managers or senior colleagues. All members of the team were willing to help when a question or a problem was raised. I had bi weekly chats with my manager to discuss things going on inside the job and things outside the job. I also had a senior engineer as a mentor, who I could easily approach if there were any problems within, or out of, work.

The majority of the time I was busy working on numerous jobs, which I felt a good thing. I wasn't rushed so bad that I would class it as too busy, but I had the right work amount to get everything completed in time. However, there were occasions where I had little work to be doing as the project Id be working on slowed down for whatever reasons. I was often able to ask my colleagues if they needed support on any other projects and they often welcomed the extra help and I could get my hands stuck into other areas and other jobs!

I believe I was given the correct amount of responsibility. I was often able to get on with my own work without anyone checking over every move I made which is a nice feeling as it shows you are trusted as a capable engineer. However the majority of the time I was working under a senior engineer on projects, and they would allocate the different jobs for me to complete. I was given the opportunity to lead my own project also, from start to finish. This was an internal project and not a customer project so there was no added pressure which was perfect

The Computer Aided Design skills that I have developed over the last 12 months will help me a lot in my final year projects, and give me an advantage to clearly show my thoughts on a computer screen. I have also learnt how projects are well managed, with time efficiency etc'. Finally I have begun to think 'like an engineer', and have developed new ways to approach problems and understand important design aspects. My purely theoretical skills and knowledge regarding use of equations etc' has not been greatly developed, however this can develop over time when needed.

There was an enjoyable, yet still work friendly atmosphere within the departments. There was often friendly banter between colleagues, but at the end of the day it was clear the work was still the important thing to be done. It was also a relaxed atmosphere where you were able to listen to personal music etc' whilst working if that's what you desired. There was also social events organised outside of the office working hours, including curry nights, pool nights etc. This was really good when living somewhere new where you may not know anyone locally.

The initial introduction wasn't perfectly planned, with little training structure in place and a very much 'lets see what training we can find' kind of attitude. However, this is something we have worked on this year for subsequent placements as to a true training structure to be put in place from the beginning. However once I was trained, I was simply treated like a fellow engineer, given jobs that would be in my capability. This suited me as I preferred this then being treated as a 'placement student', someone who may be seem as incompetent in doing a proper job. There was a rotation set up so I could change between two engineering departments as to get a more mixed flavour of the engineering work carried out and this has worked well and given me the experience in a much greater area.

The initial introduction wasn't perfectly planned, with little training structure in place and a very much 'lets see what training we can find' kind of attitude. However, this is something we have worked on this year for subsequent placements as to a true training structure to be put in place from the beginning. In terms of extra training or development, it was very much a plan of learn on the job. To get stuck into a problem and if I had trouble and needed help or training on something I would ask and a colleague would help me. There was no external training days or financial investment in myself, but all my peers always gave the time investment to myself if I needed it

The appeal of working within Caterpillar is 100% positive. A fantastic multinational company who care very much for their employees, with large financial awards for attainment and good pay and benefits! There is also a high appeal for continuing to work within the specific division I am currently in as I am strongly interested in the work we do and the wide range of work allows for continuous learning and new experiences with opportunities to go overseas and experience some in field work.

There were no other placement students within Engineering in my company due to the site being quite small. However, the social scene within the department was good. We often had 'curry nights' where an evening would be spent with a pub crawl followed by food (Usually curry). A pool/darts night was also planned where the majority of office staff came along for a good night.

The cost of living seemed appropriate. Like most places you can find cheaper and more expensive places to live within reason. Food shopping was normal costs. Location is easily accessible by train and road, although if you plan on lots of travelling, driving would be easier although I have managed with many train trips. Apart from the social nights with work I have not gone out too much so cant comment on cost of socialising.

Not a student town so no student atmosphere. There are many (MANY) pubs within the town. From what I am aware there are a number of clubs but I cannot comment on the state or standard of these

There were many opportunities to get involved in 'CAT Future Talent'. This was mainly appearing on stands at local and national events from primary school students to University students. From advertising CAT as a company and the opportunities as apprenticeships and jobs to encouraging school children into STEM projects in general.