Components IT Placement Student Review

I have had an absolutely brilliant time here at Cummins. Everyone welcomed me in straight away, I got all the help and assistance I required to get settled in and the work was varied and interesting. You are trusted with really important work that makes a major difference to the team or project you are working with. The only reason it doesn't score top marks is due to me exploring my options as I come from a Business background but worked within an IT team which can obviously be quite challenging at times.

Cummins are very proud with their company culture and code of conduct in the way you treat other people. No one ever gets judged, laughed at or left out. As soon as I started, they all introduced themselves and all offered their help if I ever needed anything. They truly see placement student as a vital part of their business - somebody to bring fresh ideas whilst learning and developing themselves.

Due to the flexibility of the working nature, there were moments when my manager or colleagues would be away or working from home but they were still always available if I ever had any questions or concerns. Every issue (whether professional or personal) that I have raised with my manager was directly dealt with and I received all the resources, training, support and advice that I needed. Even when it came to doing my university assignments!

No day is the same working in an office based job at Cummins, the company has a flexible attitude so you have the independence to decide what work you want to do and when. That all depended on how big the tasks at hand were. Some days would fly by and I wouldn't even notice that lunch has passed already and other days I can take it at my own pace.

Cummins rely on their placement students and other colleagues to bring good problem solving skills and new ideas to the table. I even created a new Change Control process which didn't exist before and is now used by my whole team! They value your input and make sure that any realistic and useful ideas are certainly implemented and benefit the team.

All the skills I have learned will be extremely useful in future life: academic, professional and personal! They have showed me how a real-life business operates and what sort of skills are essential in the type of career I wish to do. I learnt to solve problems, improve my analysis techniques and how to act in a professional environment.

The office is a lovely place to be! Everyone is super friendly, the dress code is not too strict and the actual resources given to you are useful. As everyone operates on flexible hours in the office, there can be really quiet days (especially around school holiday time!) which depends on personal preference on whether that's a good or bad thing. I found it really relaxing and a great time to focus.

As I came to Cummins to help my manager lead a project that was still in the implementation phase, it was very hard for him to give me a solid working plan which is understandable. He always assured I was aware of the next step or piece he would like me to work on and I always knew what stage the project was in and if there was any scope or requirements that had changed.

For my training, there are lots of online videos and tutorial available to all employees. However, I even got to travel to two different Cummins sites and I know other students who even got to travel abroad just to help their personal development and training. They are very invested in you from the beginning as they realise this is a year for you to learn and grow which they are happy to assist with!

I do know several people in the company that started out as placement students but it is always in a different role. Although they have a really good accounting and finance graduate roles, for my specific placement role, it would be a case of the right time and right place in order to get employment after graduating. That all depends on the need for a new employee and the circumstances in the business or team you wish to apply for. I would love to continue working for Cummins if I get the opportunity!

There are a lot of placement students at Cummins so I am aware of group chats and social events that have happened as a result. Although, since Cummins is primarily an engineering business, a lot of the students were engineers. As they are based in a different building it can be hard to mingle and get to know all of them! It didn't help that I unfortunately missed the Meet and Greet day which was the perfect opportunity to get involved. However, there are other students in my department which I socialise with closely on a daily basis.

Coming from Birmingham and then living in Huddersfield for this role was a blessing. My rent was half the price and there are a lot of local shops, bars, restaurants that are reasonably priced! The night life especially can be very kind to your wallet compared to some of the other regions within the UK!

Unfortunately, I haven't had a real opportunity to explore the nightlife in my area - purely because a lot of the other students have different circumstance that means they can't do it as much. Although from what I have heard it is definitely cheap and cheerful. There just isn't a lot of option as there are only 2 good nightclubs in Huddersfield. Luckily, there are regular trains to Leeds and Manchester!

Yes, Cummins have a very good charity initiative called EEEC (Every employee, every community) in which they recommend you do 4 hours of community work a year and more if you desire! As I love giving back to the community, I have done multiple different events and have enjoyed every second. There was also opportunity for me to get involved in career fairs and the recruitment process for the next year's placement students.