Student Engineer Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement- it has given me an amazing insight into working life after university and has provided me with understanding of the many versatile roles on a project. Especially during Covid I was very fortunate to have this placement.

During my internship I was involved in many meetings and talks with chartered engineers and was regularly asked on my viewpoints on each topic. I also was made to feel part of the team from the beginning from not only my manager but other members on the team (including engineers freshly graduated/ on the graduate scheme).

During this placement I was given lots of support from my managers- I was given regular meetings, sometimes daily meetings on my progress and was very supported on my aspirations on this placement and after graduation.

Even with Covid I had a busy schedule. I was fortunate to be on many different tasks ranging from individual to group participation tasks. This contrast in tasks majorly improved my time management skills.

I was given a sufficient amount of responsibility on this placement with deadlines that needed to be met. As the placement continued I was given more responsibilities as my confidence and technical competencies grew.

This placement has given me a greater understanding on not only technical skills such as understanding engineering drawings but also my 'soft' skills such as time management, communications and confidence.

As this placement was completed during the pandemic there were not many members in the office. With that being said the atmosphere of this placement was still positive.

Even with the pandemic my placement was very well organised with the opportunity to get involved with an array of tasks and different experiences.

During my placement I was given many compulsory courses on a range of different areas of the company, I also attended a virtual introductory course on Costain and the 'my learning' section allowed me to take courses on subjects that would aid with my development.

This placement gave me a useful insight into the graduate scheme as I could talk to some of the engineers that had been on this. The grad scheme sounds very appealing with the option to work in different areas of engineering.

Due to Covid social activities were limited.

Due to the location the area is on the slightly more expensive side

Due to the pandemic I did not see the nightlife however there are lots of pubs and restaurants in the area but attendance was extremely limited

I did not get involved with activities outside of the work (due to Covid) but there are many walks and cycle routes that I really enjoyed.