Equipment and Controls Project Engineer Review

I had a fantastic year at GSK, I didn't have a clue what to expect from a year in industry and, if I'm honest, I didn't think it was going to be for me. From the day I stepped foot through the door I felt welcomed, challenged, pushed and accepted by those around me and I developed personally as well as academically.

Recognition was given where recognition was due. My achievements were always noticed and escalated accordingly. Often, there were times in the office where my assistance was required to help out a colleague struggling to meet a deadline with an installation so I would step in and assist as if I was a full time member of the team. I was never made to feel like "only a placement student".

My hand was held when I first started throughout a lot of the activities I was involved in because they were all new to me, my manager then began to take a step back, allow me to make the decisions, deal with the mistakes/things going wrong. Even now, 10 months in I can still go to him for help if I need it but I know that I would try my best alone now.

Project Engineering is a very variable role. Some weeks I didn't sit down between 8am and 5pm, I was snowed under in work and felt like I wasn't going to be able to get on top of it all. I always managed though. Other days I had very simple days, preparing documents, planning tasks etc. The combination of these days is a nice change of pace in the workplace but coming out of a busy patch it sometimes felt that I would like my day to be a bit busier to not allow me to feel bored

I was given full responsibility for my major project - the installation of two new pieces of kit. All documentation, supplier management, Factory Acceptance Testing, On site validation and logistical planning of line time, production resource, engineering resource was all fully managed by myself. I was fully accountable for the outcome of this project.

I mainly gained soft skills from my placement such as how to deal with suppliers, how to manage contractors, how to work with various functions within a business, how to effectively plan, how to manage aligned resource to the best of its ability etc. These skills are invaluable and will stay with me forever. I was not in a technical role per say, application of university knowledge was minimal and therefore degree-skills were not really gained.

Great, everyone is super welcoming and really happy to help regardless of what you need. No one is ever too busy to help you and if they are unable to help they will point you in the right direction. Everyone has a laugh and a joke and then gets their head down to get the job done.

Very well organised, I was given a variety of projects to ensure I experienced as much of the site as possible along with all of the different aspects of my role. If any delays in projects occurred I was quickly changed project to ensure I got the most out of my 12 months

Every employee has a personal learning plan and a development plan. The learning plan is specific to the role but if there are additional areas of interest then you can easily sign up to attend on site courses to expand your knowledge. Experience of other departments is also encouraged throughout the placement year.

Very. There are multiple ways that I would be interesting in going about getting back into either my direct role, a technical development role around site or a national development role on the future leaders programme. All of these options have their own benefits and are all highly sought after positions.

Yes. Placement students often went out for meals to celebrate various birthdays, successes, leaving dos etc straight from work. My department often went out for social events such as nights out, day drinking in York, Trips to York Races and general celebrations for leaving dos and birthdays alike. Great social scene.

I live in a full 2 bedroomed house for the equivalent rent of one room at university. Many pubs and restaurants are walking distance from work all of which are reasonably priced and with a great variety to choose from. Travelling to main cities in the north east is also very cheap by train.

Fantastic. Local town nightclubs are like no other, everyone knows everyone and everyone just wants to have fun. Travelling into Darlington for more of a social scene is easy and getting the train to cities such as Newcastle, York or Durham is very affordable and all under an hours journey away.

The sports and social club adjacent to the site offered a gym, squash courts, basketball courts and football pitches. The teesdale centre offers swimming and exercise classes. There are lots of volunteering opportunities at place such as the local animal sanctuary or the location lends itself perfectly to countryside walking.