FES Placement Student Review

I feel overall I had an enjoyable placement. The speed of the manufacturing industry and the progression of the work content meant that there was always something to be done. Whilst the work may not have always been very enjoyable, the majority of the colleagues around me created a work environment which I could enjoy.

Over the course of the year I increasingly felt valued by my colleagues; some as friends and some as important colleagues. The rapport developed with the Faurecia staff was paramount to what I would call a successful placement. Aside from a few individuals and individual cases, the staff overall made me feel a part of the team.

There had been a change in management/ supervisors during my time at Faurecia and with each on there was varying levels of support and guidance, some providing a lot more support than others. Whilst some balanced out the others in terms of guidance I would have to say overall the result would be slightly better than 'ok'

Over the year this fluctuated tremendously as I figured out the placement. Whilst some days were extremely quiet, other days seemed overwhelming and I would have to stay way beyond the official office hours. This could more likely be down to my own time management skills, but this created a fair amount of fluctuation throughout the year.

For a large portion of the year I effectively had no manager and struggled to hold down my department on my own. I seemed to have a lot of responsibility from start to finish of the placement which on the whole I have enjoyed getting to grips with. Faurecia put trust into their students

The skills developed will directly assist for one of the modules for my degree, however the skills and experience gained will assist me more beyond my degree. Having a year in industry completed will help propel my career post-graduation as I will already have a strong idea of what I am doing.

The general atmosphere in the office overall was a light-hearted one. I had been expecting a more rigid and uptight office, however the atmosphere was more friendly than I was prepared for. This did not prevent work from being completed and it enabled the days to be more enjoyable throughout the year.

The placement was set up well, however at the beginning there were issues with setting up new students' computer systems. Apart from that there is not any real complaints from myself. Most events organized for the work placement tended to run on time and were organized well with the students in mind.

The most important thing invested in me from the company was time and energy from individual members of staff. However, apart from time the company on the whole did not invest much else in terms of training, development or traveling. I did not gain extra training or certification that may have been available. Overall, with time and energy being the most important thing to invest, it was conducted adequately.

The future employment prospects are quite appealing on an international scale. This is primarily for how large the company has and how much effort they seem to have put into their international graduate scheme. For someone like me who is interested in working internationally the company is appealing for that.

The social scene amongst other students was dependent on the students themselves. Overall I would say it was not great in terms of doing things outside of work. I would also say however I did not contribute much in the efforts to create a good social scene. After a few months it was clear that the social scene would be limited, but it is not a big deal

The cost of living could have been worse, if you are frugal enough you can even save some money throughout the year also. Socialising in the area is very much dependent on and revolves around a drinking culture. Being a rural area means people just pass the time in pubs, which can suit some people more than others, but there was not much else going on.

It may be unfair for me to judge the nightlife harshly as I grew up and lived in busy cities all my life; but the nightlife in the area is extremely limited and regimented to a maximum of 3/4 mediocre hotspots. The appeal of that wore off quickly but that depends on the person.

If you were interested in doing most activities, the chances are there if you look for them. Like most areas there are clubs you can join and activities you can get involved with so there is not much to complain about in that way. If you want to get involved in the community you can.