Global Manufacturing Engineer Placement Review

I have really enjoyed my placement, I have been given real projects and real responsibilities. I have learnt so much during my placement and it has helped me grow and develop both personally and professionally. I have gained a true understanding of how a real world company operates and been given the opportunity to work with people from all around the world such as USA, India and China.

I feel very valued by my colleagues who have helped me grow and learn by offering really good feedback on what I am doing well and where I can improve for the future. All my colleagues have been really approachable and are always very happy to give up some of their time in order to give support with the work I am doing. Also I have built a great rapport with the other placement students.

My management and supervisors have offered lots of support and guidance with my projects but also have let me get on with my work independently. There is definitely an emphasis on personal development and my management have taken the time to understand what areas I have needed support and what areas I have wanted to gain more experience in.

I feel like I have had a great balance on the amount of work to do. I have always had projects running simultaneously which has meant that I have never felt like I have nothing to do. I have had a good amount of steady work to be doing. Most the projects I have been working on have had a deadline that has allowed me to produce work to a good standard, I don't feel as though any of my work has been rushed and therefore not produced to a good standard.

I feel like I have been given a lot of responsibility. Before starting my placement I was given a training course on a software. This software was vital for many projects however not many people were trained in using it which therefore meant I had a lot of responsibility on ensuring the project was completed.

The training I have received has been a massive positive for me during the placement. I have had training that will definitely help me during my final year of university. This training has also given me skills that I will use after a graduate. I have had various training courses from team working, communication and project management. The training I have had has helped me grow as a person and I will certainly use in the future.

My office had a very laid back atmosphere, some offices within the company are plant based whereas mine was not, so I think it had a slower pace than some other sites. There was a good range of working areas such as soft seating areas, a treadmill desk and bookable meeting rooms. However I do feel like the office could have had more atmosphere.

The overall work placement has been extremely well organised. From my first week there was a clear work plan and everything has run smoothly ever since. The only issue has been that my HR team are situated at a different site, which has caused some confusion.

I feel like the company has invested greatly in my personal and professional development. I have completed loads of training courses and have felt a great improvement. I have been really impressed with the amount of investment in my training and development from the company.

Future employment within Cummins is very appealing and Cummins is definitely a company I hope to work for in the future. To be offered a job at the end of my placement would be a massive positive for me and I am hopeful that there is a role for me in the future.

I feel like I have made really good friendships with my fellow placement students. We have created a good social scene and regularly do things outside of work. I feel lucky that my fellow placements and I have a lot in common and have therefore made good friends.

The cost of living in Peterborough is slightly higher than I had anticipated. Also there is not a huge amount of options for socializing within Peterborough but I have still managed to enjoy my time here and I feel like I have made the most of my living arrangements.

The nightlife in Peterborough is not great. After going to uni in Liverpool it feels like there is not much to do here. The city centre has a few restaurants and bars. There is one night club which is your standard cheesy night club and that's about it. I think Peterborough lacks due to there not really being a student population.

There were very limited opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. After visiting different sites and seeing that they had a dedicated social events team I feel like that is definitely an area the Peterborough office needs to improve. Currently the only activity is Badminton so there is a lot that can be done.