FES student Review

Learnt a lot of transferable skills that can be used in any engineering environment. Skills such as communication, project management and also technical manufacturing tools. I improved a lot of my personal skills aswell, such as communication, project management, working with integrity and having confidence within the workplace. These skills can be used in any work place.

Very friendly and team working environment to be in. Support always offered from other staff to help with projects, tasks and to locate different machinery in the plant. When I was set tasks, I could complete them independently or seek help if the was required, and once completing the project, I gained a lot of positive feedback from other staff which was very rewarding.

Started the year with an initial work plan which really helped me structure my day to day routine. I felt as the year went on, more deadlines or development goals could be added to maintain interest in the placement and to increase workload. I feel there was always daily tasks to complete because of upcoming audits or reviews etc, and these tasks varied every day which was refreshing.

At the start of the year, learning the business terminology and navigating different softwares was a big learnring task. During the 12 months, becoming more competent with the manufacturing side of the business, u was able to go out and find my own projects or use my initiative to carry out lean manufacturing tools and maximise productivity.

I was given the responsibility of managing the weekly plant report, in which all the data and parts from each process and technology in the business is entered into. This can then be used to produce graphs and reports that reflect the production data, and managers then use this to generate meetings and carry out root cause analysis to improve efficiency within the plant.

I believe the personal skills that I have developed will help me progress through uni and also onto my future career path. It has helped become punctual, reliable, to work with integrity and also improve my maturity within a working environment. I feel the actual business knowledge that you gain is not very applicable to uni, as uni work is much more technical and theory related. And I feel that there could have been more oppurtunities on placement to carry out more technical calculations and projects.

The atmosphere in the office was always very good and it was a very enjoyable workplace to be in. Although the pressures in the automotive industry can be quite demanding, the morale in the office when everyone works together is always positive which helps everyone complete their respective tasks. I never felt isolated or excluded from the team and will miss the people in the workplace the most.

The work placement was set up very well, as we had a student induction in the first 2 weeks of our placement. This was enjoyable as we got to meet all the Faurecia students throughout the UK who were in similar job roles also, and could get a feel of the type of work we may experienced over the 12 months. You also receive a student review session at the end of the year which is a great time to reflect on what each of us had liked or disliked.

I feel there could have been more practical training within engineering set up for the students. Working in a manufacturing environment, I would have liked to practice welding and fabricating skills more, although I understand the safety risks and constraints that come with this. I feel I learnt more about softwares and manufacturing tools, on the job and actually doing them everyday rather than having a specific training regime for if.

I think they are very appealing for a future career. Faurecia do offer a graduate VIE scheme which can be 18 months abroad in a role in any plant in the world. I really like the oppurtunity of working internationally and gaining this business experience. Although I did not feel the maufacturinf industry was for me, within the automotive industry there could be many other departments that I would be interested in or more suited to.

I was on placement with 5 other placement students, and most of them were living or based in the same area as me. This was very useful as we got to soicialise outside of work together sometimes, and get to know eachother on a personal level. As some of us attend the same uni, we can now stay in contact for next year and see how each of us are progressing. Joining the placement with another person who I was already friendly with, made it slot easier for both of us to settle in quickly aswell.

In general, the surrounding areas of the plant in Washington, UK is very affordable area to live in. I lived in the city of Newcastle which was slightly more expensive but I knew the area well and preferred paying a little extra to live in that area. However, within Washington places to stay are very cheap and the Sainsbury's and fast food shops are all very convenient and close the Faurecia plant.

Living so close to newcastle it is an excellent night out any night of the week especially weekends. If you choose to live in Sunderland there is also a big scene there for nightlife and drinking, and you can access both these cities quite easily using the metro service. If you live in the outskirts of the cities you will end up getting taxis which could become quite expensive over the weekend or festive periods. In short, your never stuck to find a place for a quick bite to eat and have a pint.

Within the plant, there are lots of opportunities to join external football or rugby teams. I was able to get invovled with a group of boys who play football on a weekly basis, so this was also a very good way of getting to know the other employees within the business. During the weekendS, you will be invited out by everyone because they all like to socialise together.