Lethality Engineering Review

The work was very varied within my department so I got the opportunity to carry out a number of different tasks that built on a range of different skills. The work was engaging but also tested my skills, my department were always happy to help and give me guidance and it was a good environment

Once I had been in the placement for around six months, I had developed my knowledge enough to participate more and more in the team discussions and contribute my ideas. By this point, other members in the team were coming to me for help or asking me how to do things which made me feel valued

At the start of the placement, due to it being in a rather niche area of the company, my manager gave me suitable guidance so that I could quickly pick up the knowledge and skills needed to perform my role. As I progressed he let me be more independent which really helped my development

The department, and the company as a whole, were going through a really busy period during my year in industry. This meant that there was never a shortage of work for me to do, which kept me busy for the majority of my placement. There were a few times when no one was around to set me work, but this was to be expected when we are that busy

I feel that the responsibility given to me more than matched my level of progression at different points in my placement. Saying this, it did not feel like I was treated as anything less than the rest of the team, as I was given responsibility from the very start, with this progressing as I moved forward in my placement.

I had preconceived ideas about what I wanted to develop at this placement whilst I was at University. This has completely changed after completing my placement, and my views on what skills and traits are important for a developing engineer have changed drastically as I now have had the exposure to working in real life situations.

The atmosphere in my office was fairly serious, however there were not many people in my department so I got to know everyone within it which meant that it did not have to be formal all the time. This meant that we could have some down time and chat with one another during lunch etc.

For me, it was very well organised. The company were very quick to communicate following the assessment centre and this followed through to my placement. Any questions I had were answered on a pre-joining day and any questions I had during my placement were answered fairly quickly via email from the person overseeing the undergraduate scheme.

Although there was not much opportunity for development through means of training courses for undergraduates and graduates, my manager was still interested in seeing me develop my personal skills. He regularly sat down with me and talked about how I engage with the team, how I carry out work and how I convey information, helping me to improve.

Throughout the placement, it was stressed to us that the purpose of the early careers programme was to train undergraduates, graduates and summer placements to come back as permanent staff in the future. This was apparent as there was much talk about my return to the department as a graduate, which will be confirmed in September

There was a large intake of graduates, undergraduates and apprentices during my year placement, and together with the early careers events put on by the company, this gave ample opportunity to network and make friends with the other placement students. They were all friendly and there was no divide between graduates and undergraduates

This placement is located on edge of London (north of London in Stevenage, Hertfordshire) so it is not the cheapest place to live. However, compared to other places on the edge of London, the prices and availability of rented accommodation were fairly reasonable, so my living costs were reasonably low all things considered

For a small town, Stevenage has a number of different bars and pubs scattered around the town in different areas. This gave enough choice for a night out so that you don't have to visit the same place every time and you are not restricted in choice. However, this is a small town, so the choice is still fairly restricted

Throughout the placement year, there were many opportunities to get involved with STEM activities, promoting Science Technology Engineering and Maths to local schools, by becoming a STEM Ambassador. As well as this, there were also many opportunities to compete in sports events held by the company, including yearly football and cricket tournaments