Electrical Engineering Placement Student - Acting Section Engineer Review

I enjoyed my placement for the most part, however some aspects could have been improved.

As my job was quite important to ensure that production and dispatch was on schedule I felt quite valued by my colleagues.

The other engineers provided me with support when I asked for it and I knew I could always go to them for any assistance. However, it could have been better if I had been given someone to work along side during my placement to learn off of.

I had control over what I did during the day for the most part, however if a breakdown or fault occurred then this was my priority and in some instances I could be incredibly busy. Not only did I deal with faults and breakdowns but I also had to manage and prioritise maintenance and improvement tasks. I also ran a number of teams focussed on reducing breakdowns and improving maintenance.

For the majority of my placement I was given a great deal of responsibility. If I didn’t do my job correctly and if I didn’t keep on top of what was usually a growing list of jobs then this could have an effect on production or dispatch. During normal day to day running of tasks I also dealt with contractors and suppliers and the managing of resources so that the work could be done as quickly and efficiently as possible.

All of the skills, knowledge and experience that I have gained from my placement will be invaluable throughout my engineering career.

The office was usually full of banter and was a relaxed atmosphere.

The structure of my placement wasn’t really well organised. Initially the engineering placement student’s weren’t given anything to do and so we took it upon ourselves to find out as much as we could about how the site works and the processes. However, this was also beneficial to us in many different ways. Later in the placement due to the recession the plans for the engineering placement students had to be altered.

The company provided me with some of the training needed to work on an industrial site but other than that there were no additional training given.

Depending on the position of the company after the recession and after my placement I may apply for a graduate placement at SMACC.

There were a number of socials with the engineering department which were always good nights out.

I was lucky enough to be from the surrounding area and so I lived with my parents during my placement.

Sheffield is a great nigh out and there are also good nightlife spots in the surrounding towns.

There werent really any activities outside work other than the socials.