Project Controls Summer Placment Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the placement. I was given lots of responsibility and the work was varied. There were plenty of opportunities to visit major construction sites that Mace run such as Battersea Power Station which are fantastic experiences. The work atmosphere at Mace is very supportive and open which make it a enjoyable place to work.

I was always felt very valued by colleagues. You can ask anyone anything and they will happily put some time aside to discuss anything you want to talk about. It was never frowned upon to ask questions and my input was always valued despite my lack of experience which was a unexpected positive of the placement.

I was given a lot of support from my line manager who was fantastic. The guidance was sometimes a little unclear as I was told I would be on a project one week and then that would change the next week which was a little bit confusing and frustrating. This is the nature of project management and my line manager did everything in her power to get me onto right projects and in the end it all worked out well.

Most days I was fully occupied. At the start the work was a bit sparse to I went out of my way to find jobs to do and found enough to keep myself occupied. There were some days where I was very busy and some that I would be waiting for feedback from people. These days were often a bit of drag but there are always things to be getting on with in the background.

I was made an acting project manager on my second week which was a role that I performed successfully for 6 weeks before handing my project over to another project manager. I was managing a team of 20 IT people and preparing project boards for key stakeholders. On top of this, I developed an important tool for Highways England. I was given a lot of responsibility which I thrived off although it was intimidating at first.

The placement involves an awful lot of communication with all different kinds of people, both face to face and electronically, so these as vital skills that I have developed. I now feel much more comfortable communicating with senior figures. For my role as project manager, I needed to be very organised which also required time management. I learnt to break down my work into manageable chunks so I didn't feel overwhelmed which is a technique I will carry on using at university and beyond. This placement is also useful for developing excel and outlook skills as they are used extensively throughout the placement. I used MS Project as part of my placement to develop a project plan but Primavera P6 is also used on other projects. This placement is a great opportunity to get some hands on experience with planning and scheduling tools which are vital for any project.

The general atmosphere was really positive and supportive. Everyone was available for chat if you wanted to ask them a question or find out more about what they were doing. I felt at ease around colleges and had a good time at lunch time getting to know more about them.

The organisation was mixed. The on boarding was process was effective with all the necessary information and equipment given. There was also an excellent event at Easter where we could find out more about the company and meet other placement students before we started. However, it took a week for them to find me project because the project I was meant to didn't materialise which was a bit frustrating and something I feel they should have sorted out before I advised. Also had issues with access to some of the IT systems

There is a lot of online training in the first week and presentations at the start and end of the placement but other than that there wasn't much compulsory training. There was a good learning hub on their intranet to allow you to do some independent learning. People were always happy to sit with you and teach you how to use software if needed.

They are very supportive of getting you on board either for another placement if you aren't in your final year or a place on their grad scheme. All that is required is a sign off from your line manager which is easy to get as long as you perform satisfactorily during the placement. They will also allow you to move to a different business unit for the grad scheme if you want.

The social scene was limited. Most students get sent off to their projects and you very rarely see them. When I back at the head office in London I spent time with the other students. We also organised site visits together which were good for socializing. There was a great end of placement event organised which everyone came back to London for and lots of money was put behind the bar.

The main office is in the city so trying to live near is very expensive. I lived at home and commuted in which worked well. I drove to my projects and mileage was covered on expenses. London is very expensive place to go out and every is very expensive although the office canteen was well priced.

The nightlife back in London is great but non existent on project I was on. This meant I made the most of the days I was in London to spend time with friends after work. There are plenty of bars, clubs and good places to go out and eat around the office due it's very central location.

I did a volunteering day and there are opportunities to get involved with fundraising through Mace but in general, there aren't that many activities outside work from my experience.