Design Manager Review

During my 10 week placement at Mace I've been made to feel very welcome and have had chance to work on multiple large, interesting projects across London. The projects that I have been set up with by Mace are at different stages of completion (one just beginning on site and the other coming to practical completion), allowing me to develop my knowledge of construction from cradle to grave. I feel that I've learnt a lot in my short time on placement here and would recommend the company to anyone, whether studying a construction degree or otherwise.

Colleagues acted as if I was another professional and took me seriously at all times during meetings and discussions. Due to the limited time of the placement, some colleagues did not have the chance to fully assess what I was and wasn't capable of so sometimes refrained from giving me larger tasks. However this was balanced out with the detailed work assigned to me by my line manager and others.

As a first port of call, my line manager was always available for guidance with my day to day work activities. Despite being quite a high level manager at the company, he (as with everyone else that I spoke with) was more than willing to help me out when I was struggling. Beyond my line manager, the emerging talent team and others at Mace are great at pointing you in the right direction for anything not directly related to your daily activities.

I was kept busy throughout my placement despite there being a period of time where one of the projects was delayed. Rather than leave me to my own devices, my line manager was sure to check on what I was doing and when I made him aware that my work load was slowing down I was given some more interesting tasks to manage. My work load never became too great as my manager had a good grasp on what I was doing and when I was struggling, others at Mace were happy to help out.

The tasks that I was assigned on my placement had a high impact and value on the projects I was involved with. It included managing the design of multiple work packages, assisting with samples (which included meeting with project clients), setting up BIM procedures and review technical design information. With each of these tasks, I was left to complete them on my own knowing that I could call on support when needed.

Due to the short period of time that I was on placement, I don't feel that I have learnt as many transferable skills as I would have if I would have stayed longer. However, the skills/training that I was able to pick up during my time at Mace - technical knowledge, management techniques, presentation skills - will come in very useful during my final year at University.

I worked within two offices, splitting my time between both (and saw a third office [head office] frequently). During my time at all three offices everyone was friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere was always lively but professional and when at head office it was nice to see the CEO and board members amongst all the other staff.

Overall the placement was well organised. Before I started, Mace sent out invitations to a social network platform allowing all the placement students to connect with one another. Once working at Mace, we had a placement form to fill out with our line managers which gave the 10 weeks structure and we had placement review meetings which were arranged in a timely manner. The only area that could be improved upon was the issuing of my work laptop because I had to work off someone else's computer on my first day.

Mace are well prepared and willing to help out with personal training and development. They have an online training zone which houses hundreds of different training course on topics from sustainability to construction law, many of which are free or can be funded by the company. To attend you simply have to talk with your line manager and enroll. For me during my placement, Mace gave me introductory training (covering topics such as health and safety) and BIM software training. At the end of the placement there is also the opportunity to be recommended a place on the graduate programme which looks to develop your skills and knowledge whilst seeking chartership.

As previously mentioned, there is the opportunity at the end of the placement to be recommended a place on the Mace graduate programme. If attained, the graduate programme looks to build your skills and knowledge while you work on the job. Emphasis is placed on gaining chartership with a professional body. The business has a good record of recognizing talent and promoting them up the levels within the business so it Is unlikely you'll be stuck at one level for too long.

I had a good connection with one of the other placement students and we were in contact throughout. However, due to the number of students working across London on various other sites, I had little communication with them outside of work events. There was a good relationship between all the students who worked together on the same site or at head office. Perhaps if the social networking system was used more intensively more of us would have stayed in contact. If you're really keen to stay in touch, all the resources are in place, you just need to make the effort.

Living and working in London can be quite expensive. The business offers a slightly increased pay rate for those on placement in London, which just about accommodates this but you have to stick to a budget. I'd recommend looking round for accommodation as early as possible to avoid have to shell out the big bucks. Some student accommodation opens it's doors to placement students throughout summer while the full time students are away; this can offer a heaper option.

Being London there are plenty of bars and pubs wherever you're working. Drinks can be quite expensive but they generally have a good atmosphere to relax and chat after work. The only place I've heard of placement students working where the team haven't gone to the pub after work is Heathrow airport where there aren't as many pubs and the working hours are unsociable.

Yes. I had regular emails coming in offering various volunteering opportunities within London. In addition to these emails, there's a lot of charity work that goes in at the company so you can choose to get involved in bike rides, runs, sports tournaments etc. that take place outside of work. There's also 'communities' on the Mace intranet which advertise activities outside of work such as 5-a-side football and band practices.