Placement Civil Enginner Review

I very much enjoyed my internship. It was great to see the difference between what I was learning and what would be needed/what I used. I got to see the construction happen on site and how there is a lot more being done then it looks like. I got to see how the site and project is organised and how things you have no control over can really affect the project. Although, the earlier morning were a bit of a new experience that I had to adapt to.

I felt included much more to the end of my placement as I started to get more involved in the processes. I was included in meetings and other recreational activities when they happened. Even from the first week I was included in the meetings but my lack of experience reduced my interaction in them. Near the end of my placement I could understand what the issues were, where they had come from and propose solutions. I was occasionally given important work and I was allowed to work independently once they knew that I was competent.

If I needed needed help I could ask from my manager and they did help me navigate the HR department. My supervisor always had work for me if I needed any, but as time went on my guidance with them reduced as it wasn't needed as much. I understood what my responsibilities were and any work that would come from others would go to me directly and not from my supervisor. I was given guidance about what procedures were in place and why they are enforced.

It varied day to day. Some days could be very busy while others would be more boring. Whenever it got boring I could go and ask what other people were doing. I could learn about what different aspects of the team/company. Over time I got into a routine with work that needed to be repeated such as the site dairy and briefings.

I was given only a small amount of responsibility. I worked on temporary works and any of my more important work was checked before being implemented. When I was proven competent I was allowed to work independently and my work was checked only when required. I lot of my responsibility involved in site work, such as: setting out work activities, ordering materials and later writing RAMS and permits.

It gave me a insight into the real application of what I am studying. A lot of the skills I developed would be more applicable beyond my degree. However, I developed my skills with total stations and laser levels that will be useful for the practical assessments on my course. Understanding how things are done on site, how they are applied, will help with knowing what information needs to be available for documents and design requirements.

The atmosphere was mostly friendly and light. It changed depending on what was going on, whether things were at an important junction or if unexpected events happened. This might include a non productive interaction with third parties. However, it was a good working atmosphere and people did have fun while in the office. The other side was the atmosphere I was aware of was between the office and the site. This atmosphere was more formal and work related.

My internship was well organised. I received training, equipment and medical checks soon after my start and after the first week I was fully set-up. I clearly knew who to go to for help and who to get work from. I received all the form that I needed to fill out and what I could/couldn't claim for before I started.

I was trained with equipment such as levelling equipment and total stations. This was done early in my placement so that I could do more during my time. I got training on CAT and Genny equipment too. Away from the site, I got training/development on procedures involving: where human error can come into affect, how people perceive interaction and how small errors can lead to fatal results.

As part of my course I will be able to get a job with them, assuming I get my degree. I will be up for a review to see if they are happy with my performance and if both sides wish to go forward with the agreement. As part of this agreement I am will be working with them for a year in industry and another summer placement before my graduation.

Between myself and my fellow students at Surrey university there was limited interaction. I was the only one in my year to get a placement with Costain. As such, we were less social then we had been at uni. There were other placement students at Costain that I did interact with.

My placement location was in London so the cost of living / socialising was quiet high. However, there were plenty of pubs, night clubs and other possible places to go and socialise. It was possible to find places where to prices were at a more reasonable level but that was only at a few specific places.

There were plenty of places to go out at night. As I was in London it was easy to get to difference places on the underground system. There were all sorts of clubs that were available, with my budget and sleeping patterns that were more of a factor in how outgoing I was.

There were gyms and sports clubs in the area I worked. These clubs ranged from kayaking in the Thames and swimming to rock climbing and football. Time off work was allowed for these activities as long as it was reasonable. There were posters and flyer at work to promote activities outside of work but a majority one would have to find/search for themselves.