Summer Placement Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement with Costain on the HoV2 project. I was warmly welcomes by my section from day 1 and was given responsibilities that were a challenge at first but i had plenty of support to achieve them. As my experience increased, as did the responsibilities i took on day to day.

The relationships formed over the brief 10 weeks i had with the company were unparalleled. Everyone i interacted with over the site was interested in what i was doing, my plans and me as a person. More over they would happily share their own stories too! All the members in my section encouraged my work and understood my lack of applicable experience in the field.

my supervisors provided all the support i required as well as taking time out to help provide me with training tailored to the work we were undertaking at the time. I made sure to take advantage of the support by asking questions which were happily answered with demonstrations when needed.

As with working on most sites the work varied from day to day. I was placed on a project which was approaching it completion date for the section i was working on so some days were a little slow however there was still plenty to do. The slower days provided more experience with paperwork etc whilst when gangs were coming in the next day, it was focused on site.

I was provided with a challenging amount of responsibility. This pushed me however i was fully supported throughout the entire time. At first, I was shown the ropes and took things slowly as i built an understanding. This then culminated in me making individual decisions (checked by section engineer) and even guiding my own placement student around at the same time.

Whilst at university, its very easy to just focus on the academic side of engineering which makes it difficult to visually apply what you're studying to real life. By going on site, speaking to the workers, seeing the engineering techniques applied has all cemented my knowledge i have been accumulating over the years.

It was a busy-hive environment with people coming in and out to push the progress of works on-wards. this created a talkative and well communicating environment with teams talking to each other as well as jokes being thrown around to create an area with high morale. The team based layout maximised section work too.

It was structured differently to a typical work placement because it was more integrated into the work i was involved itself. This made it feel much more rewarding with a greater sense of job satisfaction as i knew the work i contributed was used. I was still provided with increasing work and goals to achieve however it didn't feel artificial.

As part of the sponsorship scheme with Costain they have invested well into my interest and development with the company. I have been given many opportunities with the company and paths of development throughout my placement and also time at university. This includes help with projects that I will undertake.

I have not only heard great things about the support Costain offers to their employees but also experienced some if them first hand too. This has influenced my decision to stay with he company past my contract requirements. They have also offered support towards some of my industrial goals such as chartership.