Engine & Vehicle Technology student Review

Overall, I enjoyed the combination of having meaningful work to do and my own project to manage and implement during my time there, and working in a fantastic environment in which I matured and picked up a lot of relevant technical knowledge.

The staff are very friendly and aware of (placement) students and their role on-site. They treat you as any other colleague, therefore allowing you to be yourself and feel comfortable in what might appear to be quite daunting, especially if you are a school-leaver. My Supervisor and other highers were very appreciative of my contribution and presence though.

There is an element of initiative required to work well at this company, but the help is always available if requested. The staff tend to let you get on once you have been briefed so it is tempting to not do much when you're not being chased to meet a deadline. However, the team operates in such a way that management is not always there to support everyone at the same time (understandably) so very much up to you how much help you need/want.

There are always periods (could be a week or month) when the workload is lighter, but this is always balanced out by lulls. I think this is normal in a lot of workplaces, and it's up to the individual to cope with changes. Ideally, workflow would always be at a constant steady rate but it is unrealistic.

For a lot of the placement, I had work that I could call my own, but usually this work would be a sub-task of another greater task. Depending on how much you feel you can handle, the Supervisors will respond accordingly and give you more responsibility if you show you can deal with it. I had enough reponsibility given to me, considering my limited technical knowledge at the time.

I was able to attend many training courses but the purposes needed to be justified before I was booked on. This was fine, but I would quite have liked to attend more mechnical/technical training courses that maybe some of the apprentices and technician staff attended. Those that I was lucky enough to attend were financially covered by the company!

In an Engineering office, there really isn't much room for bitching and it's filled with a lot of friendly banter most of the time. The office was comfortable and I still remain in contact with colleagues and fellow students. A good working environment is something that I now feel is very important for any prospective job I get in the future.

I found that I was able to work on my own project from the very beginning and people always had things lined up for me to do. There was clearly a standard procedure that is normally carried out for students regarding inductions and the rest of the year placement and I was kept busy and again felt valued because of this.

I did come out of the placement a more mature, business-minded individual with knowledge of the petrochemical industry and the other services provided by the Shell group. I participated in many presentations, report-writing, meetings, conferences as well as the tasks at hand which all contributed to my future career prospects in the most invaluable way possible, making my gap year one of the best decisions I have ever made. This was increasingly the case as a result of the company I spent my year with.

Their Graduate scheme is very good - haven't applied yet but considering it. Having some previous experience in the company is a pro and the contacts within the company will help too, I'm sure.

All work, no play makes for a dull student. Chester has one nightclub but the people I met made it for me. I lived away for the first time to make it easier to commute and made the experience more complete.

Chester is not cheap, but the accommodation was arranged early so I managed to sort something quite reasonable out. Drinks are quite expensive, as was living away from home but the pay compensated hugely.

Choice of many places to go to if Chester isn't your scene - Liverpool and Manchester are within range for a bigger night out. Lots of local pubs and a retail park too. Nice to integrate into the nearby neighbourhood.

Usually quite tired after a days work but yes, a gym, retail park with entertainment facilities, pre-arranged outings with colleagues are not uncommon.