Undergraduate Engineer Review

This placement is a very good learning experience and a fanatastic oppurtiunity to caputure a significant chunk of experience of an engineering office. As such, the workload has remained high and there are several resonbibilities we have had to commite to, this inevtly requires a continuosly dedicated amount of hard work. I think and a 10/10 score for enjoyment would be very rare given that it is ultimately work. However, Siemens helps you exploit every opportunity and maximise any gain you can get from career development or personal/professional experience and the shear volume of this, together with the helpful working environment does make the job significantly enjoyable.

My immediate colleagues are great and a good laugh. Any work I have done has been appreciated by my colleagues and support is always there when I need it, even just simple I.T. related queries. Most managers have been very keen to allow me to work in a variety of projects and let me have an insight into what's happening at all levels within each project that I have worked on.

My line manager is fantastic, couldn't ask for better. He has always been very helpful and active when it comes to resolving any issues, incredibly supportive of proffessional development and has backed any inoitiative I have had to get the absoulte most from my placement. Further more he has helped to improve the scheme by encouraging continuing feedback from us throughout it.

The majority of the time I have maintained a very high workload. This is partly due to the number of additional responsibilities I have voluntarily taken on for the experience but also partly just due to the nature of working as an engineer here which involves taking on several tasks simultaneously.

Siemens are always willing to provide undergraduates with important responsibilities right from day one. For me this has included commissioning of site equipment, meeting and working with clients, entertaining clients, writing test specifications and arranging meetings with other staff. I would say this has given me enough confidence to work efficiently and effectively within and engineering environment.

Without a doubt the skills have pickup up/improved upon here will help throughout my degree and indeed my career, in particular time management and communication skills have been vastly improved here. I've seen what things work well and seen how mistakes are made and can use these observations to improve my own working techniques in the future.

The working environment is quite professional given the industry we work in and the clients we deal with however most people here can also be quite light heated and fun. There have been plenty of humorous office debates during my time here and especially at the start was a good way of meeting new people.

Internally the placement has been organised very well with plenty of support from various colleagues regarding different aspects of the placement. In terms of national organisation there has been occasions were some confusion between different business areas had caused issues but nothing major.

Siemens values training and has sent me on multiple course in preparation for site works and other client based working. Asides from the initial in-house training I have gained multiple certificates/permits and qualifications for which Siemens has footed the bill for all of the fees and allowed me to prepare for these during company time. For the most part, Siemens encourages further development and learning and this was certainly reflected initially. At points there has been some reluctance to training course that I have suggested myself, but these are usually justified and explained by the management team.

Future job prospects are appealing. I believe I can take forward he skills and projects experience I have had here and continue to apply it in this way here at Siemens. The remuneration and benefits package is also an attractive prospect.

Many of the younger staff go to the pub on a Friday in summer. Everyone is friendly and approachable and I'm sure anybody would be up for external social activities were arranged.

Ashby is very cheap because there's nothing here. I don't live in Ashby because it's boring appearance doesn't seem appealing but just half an hour away I am able to live relatively cheaply.

As far as I'm aware the town of Ashby closes at 5pm in time for the 6pm curfew. The location however, is very conveniently close to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Loughborough, all of which have a fantastic and vibrant nightlife.

Yes plenty. People do organise things all the time.