manufacturing engineer Review

It was a great opportunity to learn more about how a large engineering company operates and what is needed to make things work. There were lots of opportunities to get involved in different areas of the business and most of the people were really helpful and supportive. The only down side would be that working for a large company sometimes you can just feel like a number. In general, I enjoyed my placement and it was great for my development.

The teams I worked with did a really good job of making me feel welcomed and part if the team. I became good friends with some of the people I was working with and will continue to keep in contact with them in the future. I definitely felt very valued because despite being new to the company I was given lots of responsibility and opportunity to work on some really imortsnt projects where I learn lots.

The management were always there to try and support you if and when it was needed. I liked that I was able to work on things independently and develop / learn things for myself. However my managers were always there to help and answer any questions when required. Overall I liked the 'hands off' approach that I experienced but I also would have preferred a bit more guidance on a few things during my placement year.

I think there was a fairly good balance. Sometimes I was extremely busy and trying to juggle lots of different things but there were other times when I didnt have as much on so could catch up on other things. For me it worked out well but I could see how others maybe become bored and have little to do if they didn't speak up or ask to get involved with certain projects or pieces of work.

This is one of the main things I enjoyed about my placement year. I was given a oot of responsibly which forced me to learn new things and be accountable for my work. This was unexpected as this was my first time at the company and also my first proper work experience. It was great for me that I wasn't just dismissed because of this. The company really wanted to listen to young people and improve things.

I learnt lots of skills both technical and soft skills during my placement year. I found the the most important and also most developed were my soft skills such as communication, presentation and organisational skills. I feel like these skills will really help me with my studies and further work in the future. I also feel much more confident because of this experience so I am really glad I managed to get the opportunity and also tried to make the most of it and develop as much as possible.

The office environment was more kn the dull side of things rather than being super exciting and fun. It was a large office with lots of people. It was often pretty quiet with kost people focusing on their work. There were times which were more fun and others would bring in food for birthdays etc. But in general it wasn't particularly exciting or fun to be working in the office as it was pretty quiet and there were lots of people.

the placement was fairly well organised which was good. However, it was also quite flexible as I had the ability to work in different teams and work on different projects despite that not being in my original goals. It was nice that the company allowed me to work quite flexibly and independently to help the business and develop my skills rather than trying to force me to work on one thing without the opportunity to experience different parts of the business.

the company are really good for investing in its employees from all levels. They actively promote and encourage others to improve their skills and develop themselves and there is always someone you can speak to who will be able to help you with your goal. The ability to be able tl go on training and learn while working was something that I really felt allowed me to develop so much during my placement at this company.

although I really enjoyed my time at the company and I managed to learn and develop so much, I think in the future I would prefer to work for a smaller company. Working for a big company has many benefits but it also has many negatives that come with it. Sometimes it is easy to just feel like a number or be working in a role that is so specialised you don't feel much fulfilment or purpose.

I didnt think there was a particularly good or exciting social scene at the company. Because the work place was out of the way from the city and other colleagues had different commitments it was rare to socialise outside of work. Other placment students were more keen to socialise so it was more common to go out with them. However Derby isn't a big place and there is not loads to do there so the social scene wasn't the best.

the cost of living was pretty cheap compared to most places, especially down south. Accommodation was quite cheap as well as food and going out. The on site canteen was quite expensive for lunch so it made more sense to prepare meals for lunch. Like anywhere the cost of socialising depends on where you go. There are some cheaper places to meet uo with friends and also some more expensive places that are a bit nicer.

I only went out a few times but it was nothing special. There are few bars / clubs that are decent but because it is isn't the biggest city there is notnloads of choice. Its not awful and there are things to do and places to go out but there just isn't as much choice as there would be in a big city. Its nothing special but there are still things to do and it is better than some places.

there were opportunities to get involved in things outside of work. For me this came mainly through making friends with people at work and doing things with them but there are also societies and group chats you can join for a variety of different sports or clubs. Usually if you ask about then somebody will be able to point you in the direction of somebody that will be able to help with whatever you might be interested in.