Electrical System and Software Integration Review

There were ups and downs, but it was a great learning experience overall. Felt like a very productive year!

I did feel valued by my colleagues.

I had a one-on-one session with the manager on a monthly basis. He was always quick to respond/react to any urgent matter. I believe he influenced the tasks given to me by my team, to suit my interests and strengths.

It was never a constant level of work, but it is easy to understand why, given the nature of the work done in my department.

First few weeks involved training and learning some practical skills. It then moved to some tests and validation work. By the second half of the placement, I can safely say that my absence would have had a strong effect on the project I was assigned to. You've got to ask for work, though; and prove that you can deliver results. It's a rational decision on my manager's part, so I can understand the gradual progress. Most employees do not treat you very differently just because you are a placement student. If you bring up valid points and demonstrate a good knowledge of the matter being considered, you will be given responsibilities....and held accountable for it!

I am sure that it will help with University projects: both in terms of technical knowledge, and managing time and resources. This is really quite subjective as you may have been quite adept at some of the skills already.

I wouldn't says 'fun never stopped'. I guess this is very subjective. But yes, people had a good laugh every now and then. The team did discuss quite a bit of non-work related topics.

They did organize events exclusively for placements starting from a accommodation day before the start of the Placement year. Cat Electronics takes in placements students every year, so in terms of work assignment, they were pretty organised and structured.

I was trained in practical electrical/electronic skills right from the very start. The team members spent quite a bit of time explaining how the serial communication protocol works. I was always given a very good explanation for the technical queries that I had, even if it was not absolutely essential for my job role. I also underwent a 6 Sigma DMAIC Green Belt training along with some other placement students.

I was told that I would be Fast-tracked through the application process.

I'm sure there was, but I didn't get heavily involved in the social events organised by fellow placement students. They seemed like a very friendly bunch though. But ignore this rating as this is not going to be the same every year. If the accumulated influence on the 'culture' has any meaning, then, yes, it's good.

Living expense was quite low compared to some of my friends who work around London. My accommodation was based in the city, so I could cycle to work. There is a large Sainsbury's next to work (and home).

I'm not really competent to comment on this haha But there are a few clubs and everyone recommends Charters(pub/bar) as a really good place. But I don't think you can compare Peterborough to the large cities. Some parts of Peterborough seem to be quite rough, especially in the evenings.

Yeah, lots. And there were many organised by the company itself. Some colleagues attempted Three peaks challenge, cycle trip to Paris, and some treasure hunt events, which were all sponsored by the company.