Industrial Placement Student/HR Administrator Placement Student Review

Completing a twelve month industrial placement at Atlas Copco provided me with a valuable opportunity to complete a variety of projects that were valuable to the business. My placement year was a rotational scheme, meaning that I was able to gain a complete overview of Atlas Copco activities, and I particularly enjoyed the variety of projects that I was able to focus on. Atlas Copco were a fantastic company to work for, and my placement helped to develop my confidence and helped to bring my university work to life within a working environment.

Atlas Copco has a real 'family' culture to it, and by rotating across the three divisions, I really felt like an integral member of each of the different teams that I had the pleasure of working with. All employees treated me extremely well, and played a fantastic part in helping me to develop both as a person and an employee. I was invited to social events which provided me with another opportunity to socialise with employees outside of work. There is also a fantastic (Activity Based Working scheme) which allowed me to sit with different employees on a daily basis, which also meant that I felt like I was part of the 'Atlas Copco Family'.

For each of the four rotations, placement students were provided with a 'mentor' who guided us through the projects that we were assigned, and also allowed us to have a say about how we would like to make the most out of our placement. It wasn't solely the mentors that provided us with guidance, I genuinely felt that I could speak to all employees, and I really enjoyed the fact that some projects and day to day responsibilities, allowed me to liaise with different employees that I wouldn't normally work with.

Being provided with mentors allowed me to discuss with them about the projects that I was working on, and if there were quiet moments I could discuss with them about how I could take my projects further, or how I could assist with other tasks. I was provided with a number of responsibilities that offered a key value to the business.

During my placement, I genuinely felt like I was completing valuable projects, and not just typical 'student' tasks. My projects included designing content ready for the launch of the Atlas Copco website, assisting with the implementation of a change in Atlas Copco's customer relationship management systems and completing a marketing benchmark analysis. These projects were all required in order to assist management, and were used in business activities after each rotation. I was also given a fantastic opportunity to help to run assessment centres in order to select the next lot of placement students, therefore contributing to the future of Atlas Copco!

The twelve month industrial placement really helped me develop my confidence within a working environment. This helped with my final year studies, most notably for presentations. For each rotation, I was asked to present my project findings to management, and although I was initially nervous, I thoroughly enjoyed presenting as each of the projects I genuinely enjoyed completing. I gained knowledge of a number of different specialised systems, allowing me to take this knowledge into both my final year, as well as my future career. I also massively improved my ability to work both as part of a team and independently, as well as my communication and organisational skills.

As said before, Atlas Copco really has a friendly and social vibe. I thoroughly enjoyed working with all employees, and everyone helped me throughout my year in industry. Their Activity Based Working scheme allowed me to sit with new people everyday, and work with different teams. Other schemes, such as a 'Lapland Challenge' wellness programme also was another opportunity to meet new people on lunchtime walks!

The placement was extremely well organised, and we were all provided with a clear 12 month plan about the projects that we were going to be completing, as well as who our mentors will be. If we were ever confused about our projects, there was always the opportunity to gain support and guidance.

Atlas Copco provided me with a fantastic opportunity and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. After my twelve months had finished, I was lucky enough to be provided the opportunity to carry on working there whilst I completed my HR degree to work as a member of the compressors HR team. This provided me with a number of key responsibilities, as well as giving me the opportunity to travel (e.g. to Dublin) to meet and work with other employees. Unfortunately, I was not able to continue my time at Atlas, however based on development opportunities, the culture and the work that Atlas Copco do, the employment prospects are certainly appealing.

Atlas Copco was extremely sociable, and I was invited to a number of business events, as well as Christmas parties outside of work.