Engineering Quality Summer Placement Review

It was enjoyable to learn about the how the department functions and the different roles within the department, however most of the tasks I was given were not particularly engineering based in terms of how they linked back to what I'd learnt at university. They did help me understand better how the company functions as a whole.

Despite mostly completing tasks that may be considered less of a priority, colleagues were always helpful in providing information that I needed for the various tasks. They mostly had time to sit down and talk to me about whatever project I was trying to complete and provide feedback in a helpful way.

Whenever I had a question or needed further information to help with a task they would find time to speak to me as soon as possible so I could quickly get back to my task. Meetings were also occasionally scheduled to talk through a task and provide guidance on it.

It often varied because towards the start of the placement I would often find myself with little work to do because the tasks being set could be completed quite quickly and then I had to wait for another to be set. However, later in the placement, when I was given a larger project, there would mostly be something I could be getting on with.

I was given quite a lot of responsibility to be set a task and then to just get on with it, particularly with the larger project I was given which required me to gather and update data for the company. However, my manager would be there to help if needed so I didn't feel lost with certain responsibilities.

The skills that were developed on my placement were not particularly related to my degree at all so far. They do though provide insight in to jobs within engineering and how different departments in a company work together to get things done which will be useful in the future. The training was mostly just basic training that all employees complete but some of it I hadn't heard of and I am now aware of going forward in my studies.

The atmosphere felt professional but not to the point where it was uncomfortable because most people seemed to get along and were always helpful when I spoke to them. The people around me seemed to be easy to talk to in general which made the atmosphere seem friendly in my opinion.

It seemed quite disorganized to begin with because on the first day it didn't seem like my department knew I was starting and I had to sit and read a manual for most of the first day. Also, none of my equipment was ready for a couple days and then my card to sign in with didn't work properly for a couple weeks.

I was given all the necessary training videos and quizzes to complete in the first few weeks and people were willing to explain to me how the department functioned and show me around to develop my understanding of the company. There wasn't a massive amount of other training but I'm not sure it was necessary in the department I was working in.

I have further placements lined up in the next few years and then I have the possibility of getting on to the graduate scheme after I complete my degree. I think based on what I've seen of the company the prospect of employment would be appealing to me, however I have only had a good look at one department so far so hopefully in a few years I'll have had a better look at other areas of the company.

I got along well with other people on placement who were from the same university as me so there were people to talk to at lunch. Other colleagues in the office were also good to have a conversion with. I didn't really get involved with any social events outside of work.

The cost wasn't too bad for me because I could stay in university accommodation because the university campus is only about 20 minutes away. It isn't too expensive to socialize because almost everywhere is within walking distance so you don't have to spend loads on the bus or petrol to drive.

The nightlife is not too bad because there are quite a few clubs and bars all within walking distance of each other near the high street and they aren't massively expensive. If you are a student then there are various student events as well that take place on campus or in some of the other clubs.

I personally didn't really look into any extra activities outside of work but I heard that there was a social football event that took place every week and I'm sure if you were to look into it a bit more you would be able to find other activities outside of work.