Platform 3 Genset Current Product Support Engineer Review

The projects I have worked on are very varied, with some being very minor and some requiring months to complete. This means that no two days are the same and I have learnt something new everyday. In this role I have learnt a little about a lot, instead of becoming a specialist in a key area. Regarding daily interactions I have been required to communicate with the colleagues in my team daily, as the projects I have completed are for their products. I have also frequently communicated with the drafting team based in India to release new or revise existing part numbers.

This placement has given me exposure to industry-standard software, specifically PTC Creo 4 and 7, PTC Windchill. I have used these on a very frequent basis, if not daily. As a result, my competence in using them has improved drastically since the start of my placement. My organisation skills have developed significantly as I had set email and work folders, allowing me to access emails and files whenever I need them. I think the development of my organisation skills will benefit me in my final year studies at University. Also, working at a professional Engineering company has taught me how to behave in such an environment and is definitely valuable.

Yes, I was treated like an employee and not like a placement student. After 2 weeks in the role, I was introduced to and started working on a high priority project which lasted 4 months. Hence, I had a very steep learning curve at the beginning of my placement but I am very grateful for it as I know I learnt a lot from working on the project. There was always project work for me to complete, and if not, I reached out to my manager and began working on new projects.

My support network was brilliant. Alongside my line manager, I have an assigned 'buddy' within my team. This gives me another point of contact should my line manager not be in or should there be something I didn't want to discuss with my line manager. I have weekly 1-to-1 meetings with both. As well as this, our team has a daily morning catch-up meeting and a weekly team meeting. Whenever I have any issues or questions, I feel comfortable to reach out and ask for support, which I believe is key for a placement student.

I am very happy with the Cummins ethos and it was something I noticed very early on in my placement. Since the offices reopened, I have been on-site as much the majority of days. Everyone is very friendly and I have developed good working relationships with colleagues outside of my team, making me want to come onto site as much as possible. Cummins cares about corporate social responsibility and volunteering. I have participated in a Cummins-hosted STEM event at a local primary school which I very much enjoyed. There are plenty of volunteering opportunities, as COVID is no longer a stipulation.

I very much enjoyed my placement. My technical and soft skills have been significantly improved because of this placement. Each day has been different and allowed me to learn a multitude of things. The support from my line manager and wider team team has made it a very pleasant experience and allowed me to complete challenging and unfamiliar work. I would go back and will be looking for graduate roles at Cummins next year. I would recommend Cummins as a place to have placement year to anyone.

Yes

Make the most of the opportunity to be on-site. Doing so allows you to network with people, build relationships with colleagues and learn how to behave in a professional environment. To help with networking, ask around for any possible final year projects to take back to your final year of university. Always ask questions. No question is ‘stupid’, and it may even lead to a possible solution that was never previously thought of. There are a lot of acronyms used at Cummins which can be overwhelming to begin with, but you soon pick up and understand the ones you need to know.