Process Engineering Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement. All of my colleagues in the office and department were friendly and fun, the work I was given was important for the business, challenging and allowed me to learn. The organisation of the placement was good and I felt supported throughout the entire time I was there.

From the day I started I felt like a member of the team, all of my colleagues went out of their way to make me feel included, and the company culture and atmosphere really emphasised this. I felt like I could approach anyone at any level and they would be happy to talk with me.

I was given guidance from my manager about my main project through weekly meetings, which helped me keep on track with the project and I wasn't stuck on anything for particularly long. Team managers gave ample support on adjusting to the ways of working and life at the company, through 1:1s and ad-hoc meetings.

While some days were busier than others, most days I had tasks to carry out during the day, with enough time that I didn't feel over-pressured to complete them. On slower days I could pick up work on minor projects or work with other people to occupy dead time when needed.

I was placed in charge of my own particular project, being the only one in the company doing what I was doing, which I particularly enjoyed. Other colleagues had worked on similar methods, which meant they could guide me (as it was completely new to me at the start), but I really enjoyed the amount of responsibility I was given.

Doing a research-focussed project will allow me to use all the research skills (literature reviews, experimental design, data analysis) will prove essential for the fourth year research project I have been given as a quarter of my module. I am already finding the time management and work ethic I have developed to break down the high-intensity course into a manageable workload.

The office was very friendly, and the people in it were always ready to have a joke around about something. Although many of the references they were making were 10 years before my time, it was a fun place that really made my placement really fun, and everyone was a character!

The onboarding process seemed a bit disorganised, with a long wait between having accepted the job offer and the contract signing, and I only found out what area I was working on on the day I arrived, and I was only told my manager a couple of days before starting. This is a key point for improvement!

There were opportunities for personal development almost every other day, and I signed up for several seminars / tours / presentations to learn about the company, the industry, cutting-edge research and to improve myself, from statistical analysis to how to build a linkedin profile and network well. AZ put lots of effort into making everyone better!

The placement has given me the chance to see what role engineering can take at the company, and has made me very interested in a further career, however there was no process to turn the placement into a job while I was there, only that I should apply as everyone else should.

Yes, There were a handful of placement students who always wanted to socialise, although the university workloads of some courses they were given stifled it a bit, particularly around exam time.

Macclesfield is cheaper than the south of England, however being near to Cheshire's golden triangle, the cost of socialising is high compared to other areas, such as my uni in Sheffield and at home in North Lincolnshire. The salary I was given meant I could afford to do what I liked to do though.

Macclesfield is a very small town, so the nightlife was limited to only a couple of bars. However, Manchester was easily reachable, so for a night out there was a good option, albeit a bit expensive to get there and back! Nightlife isn't massively important to me so this wasn't a problem.

It was a bit difficult to find out opportunities of things going on in the town, and only being there for a year means that some longer-term commitments become a bit discouraging: (what's the point of forming a band if I will be moving a long way away before it gets any traction). I feel this would be an issue anywhere I went on placement though.