Student Environmental Advisor Review

I really enjoyed the varied nature of the work, the office/site balance and the joint venture set up of the project. I enjoyed the pace of the work and how so many different challenges would arise in the short amount of time I was there, which kept the work interesting throughout. There was one project that was set to me that I felt was dragged out a little, but despite this I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the A14.

At the beginning of the internship, I doubted myself and thought of myself as a very minor part of the project. However, my colleagues made me feel very welcome and were always willing to help and show me their work. Many people went out of their way to take me out on site and make sure I got the best out of my placement, and showed me job roles outside of Environmental Advising such as archaeology, engineering and management.

My line manager was very supportive and set most of my tasks for the project. She was always on hand to answer my questions and showed me how most tasks were done, and I often shadowed and assisted her own work. My other supervisors were also very willing to help and easy to communicate with. At some points I felt that I didn't need as much assistance as I was being offered which gave me confidence in myself, but the availability for support was always appreciated.

My business varied quite a lot, where some days I would have a whole day scheduled with site visits and meetings, and others I would have little to do. Sometime I found myself looking for work which was sometimes good as I was able to open opportunities for myself, and I never found myself to have too much on my plate. It would have been good to have a project to undertake throughout the course of the internship to fill in times when I wasn't so busy.

As my placement went on and as I became more involved with the project, I was handed more responsibility. Half way through, I was asked to organise an Environment Week for the entire project, which involved a lot of responsibility and communications with external businesses. At the end of my placement, I was tasked with creating a permit to pump system that was consistent throughout the scheme, and it gave me confidence to be handed such responsibility.

I learnt a great deal throughout my placement that I consider invaluable to my future. I felt that the skills I had learnt in my degree so far were very applicable to my placement rather than vice versa; although since completing my placement I have undertaken water sample analysis and habitat surveys which I completed during my placement. I have decided that this is the field I wish to go into after university so the skills I have learnt - particularly those on site - are critical to my success in this industry.

The atmosphere was generally calm and friendly with general background noise. Everyone was approachable and the office was always clean and tidy. We would have open meetings for everyone to join rather than being confined to a meeting room which made me feel more involved and part of the project; and a social kitchen where it was good to talk to people outside of your team.

Costain itself provided structure in terms of inductions, training, reviews and events (e.g. end placement presentation). The A14 Environment Team had not had placement students before and it was perhaps difficult to balance where I was and the tasks I would undertake with the project being a joint venture and the huge scale of the project. I felt that it got off to a slow start, and the tasks I was undertaking at the end I felt I could have been completing throughout. I often had meetings with my line manager to see how the placement was going and I would give feedback about what I had been doing and what I would like to do, and this was helpful for making sure I made the most of every week. My placement was organised throughout the 10 weeks rather than planned from the start, which I felt worked well as as it was tailored to what I was enjoying and wanted to do.

There was not a great deal of training to be had, but a CSCS card was essential for allowing me to complete my work. This was reimbursed by Costain and is valid for 5 years, so it will allow me to go out on site in other companies too. I undertook compulsory health and safety training to, although both were essential and compulsory for my role. No other training was required so was not offered to me.

Having undertaken a placement with Costain and enjoying it as much as I did, I am very keen for future employment with them. The nature of the work, the care they have for their employees and the opportunities for personal development they provide make them a very appealing company to work for, and I hope to work with the Costain SHE team after I have graduated.

There was sporting opportunity within each section of the project, however this was for everyone and not just students. The long hours and long commute made these activities difficult to get involved with. The was a quarterly meeting with trainees, apprentices, graduates and higher management to discuss how we were finding things and what we could do for the project to make the most of our new skills, however this was not a social activity. For the short space of time I was there, social activities were hard to incorporate although I did have a leaving party.

I lived at home and commuted to work every day so I am not sure what the cost of living is like. However, Costain subsidised their employees for living away from home, which relieved the burden of rent for a lot of people and made living cheaper. As far as I am aware, Huntingdon and Cambridge are fairly expensive places to live, and without the Costain subsistence I would not consider living here to work.

I commuted to work from home everyday which was about an hours drive, and the project extended from Huntingdon to Cambridge. Out of the two, Cambridge would be the best place to go out for the night, however I didn't get to experience the nightlife as I lived too far away. For my leaving party, we went to Oktoberfest in Cambridge which was great, however we didn't experience the real nightlife of Cambridge.

There were a few opportunities to play football and other sports, but these activities appeared to be aimed at men who lived on site. As most people commuted to work and worked long hours, socialising in the week is difficult for most employees in construction. As a male dominated industry and so much work being done to increase the number of women in construction, it was a shame that only male activities were promoted.