Unergraduate Trainee Review

I enjoyed aspects however a large amount of the placement was focused around one project which I didn't find that interesting. I definitely had a sense of achievement at the end of my placement when my projects came up to completion, however if I could do the placement again I would have pushed for a smaller side project and to get more involved in day to day activities.

I felt valued by my immediate team as my work was directly saving them time, however perhaps there was not great awareness from the wider team as to what I did. The amount I felt valued definitely increased throughout the year as my competency increased and my projects came up towards completion.

I was given some general guidance and project briefs and discussed decisions with my manager and supervisor, however I did a lot of work independent of them, setting up meetings and making decisions myself. For me that wasn't a very bad thing as I'm quite happy to work individually and enjoyed being in charge of the projects.

At the start, before my project was up and running, I had a bit of an issue with not being busy enough, however by the end of the placement it was the right balance. As the project work was a smooth flow of continued work, I was often available to help out with other daily tasks when needed which I enjoyed.

I was given large responsibility for my particular project and although an important efficiency improvement came about from this, I was never responsible for certification tests. I definitely would have liked more responsibility, but it seems, in a company like JLR, if you want more work you have to go looking for it and that's a lesson I've learnt for my future career.

The coding skills I've learnt will undoubtedly assist in my degree and professional life at some point. Getting familiar with a large company and a corporate environment will also help if I end up at a corporate firm after my studies. This would be particularly relevant if I ended up returning to JLR, as I've already been inducted to the company and the way it operates.

There was a general good atmosphere in the office. The open plan, hot-desk set up encouraged communication between team members and teams and was a friendly atmosphere. Often people would bring in samosas or cakes for special occasions which was a nice touch, however the location in Coventry was not the nicest and there was a lot of building work throughout the year, especially at Gaydon where I worked occasionally.

It was organised from an HR perspective, with several events throughout the year and within our function we met up with the other undergraduates initially although not once we were settled in. From an engineering perspective, it may have been of more value for us to split up our time in a couple of different areas like the grad scheme rather than spending all of our time in one area. However, I guess that would make us less value-added to the business.

This was definitely very good. I attended a few trainings throughout the year, including 'yellow belt six sigma' problem solving training which was useful for my approach to problem solving throughout the rest of the year. There were also some HR led training days for personal development throughout the year, and although these were of limited usefulness to me, but at least the company was making an effort.

Definitely very appealing. There are a huge variety of areas and jobs in the company and it's going through a period of growth. I would definitely take the opportunity to come back for a further placement or grad job albeit probably in a different department. The grad scheme is well organised and involves placements around different parts of the company so you're likely to find the right place for you.

Moderately, although particularly earlier in the year while the 3 month placement students were there as well. We attended several networking lunches with the other undergrads near the beginning of the year and got to know a few undergrads very well later in the year although that was more by chance.

Fairly expensive largely due to the huge amount of people in the area who were well off due to working for jlr. With a couple of universities nearby there were a few options for people on more of a student budget however. The rent prices in Leaminton (a central location for the Whitley and Gaydon sites) are quite expensive. Living in Coventry may have been cheaper but you probably wouldn't end up in as nice a place

Good although a lot of pubs were expensive. Again, pubs and clubs aimed at students were reasonable and more affordable. We went to the occasional pub quiz which were general reasonable and good fun. There were plenty of restaurants, pubs, bars and clubs in Leamington. Also a few other things to do like bowling, cinema, plenty of parks for bbq's in the summer.

There were several groups who played astroturf football on certain days after work, so soon after joining I was on two mailing lists for these and attended one throughout the year which was good fun. There was also the ELS (employee learning scheme). Where jlr fund you up to £200 to do a 'learning activity' outside of work time.