Undergrate Electrical Engineering placement Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement. Since starting I have learned a great deal. This includes not only technical knowledge but also management skills. It has forced me to become a lot more organised. Day to day life is interesting as new problems occur and we have to investigate and fix them.

As I have progressed through my placement I feel I have become more valued. As I have gained my knowledge and proved my competency to my employers I have been given a lot more responsibility. I am trusted to complete jobs independently. I also feel valued socially as I have been invited to various events and have built several good relationships.

Within my first two weeks of employment I had already been assigned my first project by my supervisor, meaning I was given opportunity's and responsibility from the start. My supervisor provides with as much support as I need. I can always go ask questions. these questions can be technical or just about work in general. I also have monthly reviews where my supervisor provides me with information on my performance and where I can improve.

My days are a lot busier now than when I first started my placement. Some days are busier than others depending on how the plant is running. If I do find myself with nothing to do I can always ask for work and am given it. When I complete projects I create and action plan which provides me with information on jobs I should be completing on which days. However I have never felt like I have had too much work to complete as I Know I can always ask for support.

As I am nearing the end of my placement I am given a fairly large amount of responsibility. I have been in charge or a large project which was crucial in the running of the line. If a fault occurs I am often asked to investigate it independently and provided feed back. I have completed level 1 authorisation meaning I can go into substations on my own.

I feel like I have learned a number of skills when on my placement that I would not have learned in uni. Some of these are basic skills such as using a multimeter, while others are far more complex. I have been able to go on 10 days of courses providing me with technical and practical knowledge. I think completing my placement has allowed me to gain a greater understanding of things I covered whilst at uni. I also believe it will make me a far better engineer when I complete my degree.

The general feeling in my placement is relaxed. If we have a large fault everyone remains calm and addresses the problem pragmatically. The relaxed atmosphere means it easy to speak to people and ask for help if I need it.

Overall my placement has been well organised. I had a project organised and presented to me upon my arrival. This meant I had something to do from the start. My project was suitable as it was not too complex and will last the whole of my placement. I have also been able to organise going on some courses to increase me knowledge.

My mentor and supervisor has set aside a fairly larger amount time for me to complete training. I had also spent time with other engineers around the plant to help increase my understanding of the works. The project I was given was very important. If the system I installed did not work the line would not be able to run. I think this means the company has invested a lot in me to give me such a large amount of responsibility.

Having seen how the organisation is run I would relish the opportunity of further employment. I have already looked into the graduate schemes available and they are very appealing to me. I have also seen the perks available and think that coupled with working environment it would be a good opportunity for me.

I regularly meet with other graduate and undergraduates are the works. We meet to talk about work or just socially. we are completing a project together as a team. I have enjoyed working with them and think its a good opportunity for us to be solely responsible for a project. When we started we also organised a meet up outside of working hours to get to know each other.

I already lived close to the area so I did not have to worry about accommodation costs. I think the cost of living in the area is fairly cheap. There are plenty of places to go and socialise. these places vary in price so its easy to find a good balance.

The nightlife is very good. The town is always very vibrant and night and there are plenty of places to go whether it be a club or a pub. these places are all reasonably priced. Taxis are also reasonably priced so getting home is easy.

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in activities. There are lots of sports teams in the surrounding area that are very welcoming. The beaches and coastlines are very picturesque so provided a lot of opportunities for activities.