Placement Student Review

I enjoyed the people aspect of the job more than the technical side. First six months was too technical and didn't involve enough interaction with colleagues for my liking.

I was given real work on a daily basis with colleagues often coming to me for help.

Had regular 1 to 1s with my manager to discuss the work I was doing and what else I could be given that would give me the experience I was looking for.

Business varied quite a lot. There would be some days where a lot of work would come in and others where it was fairly quiet. This required improvement of time management skills to deal with the varying workload. Overall though I was pretty busy and rarely idle for long.

I was very happy with the amount of responsibility. I was paired with an experienced engineer working on a test bed. It was reassuring to know that if I was struggling, he could help and get things back on the right track, but I was able to take the lead in meetings and discuss issues that had arisen.

I think working at CAT has given me a lot of very useful experience. The fact that the placement is split into two different roles gave me a chance to develop two very different skill sets. I was also able to see how a big company works. So as far as work experience goes, I don't think it could've been any better. I don't know how much I've learned this year that will help with my degree though.

People were free to chat and there was a good team spirit with team members regularly bringing in cakes.

Very well structured placement. Could have done with a bit more notice about where my second rotation would be, but otherwise it was pretty seamless.

We had a full induction at the start of the placement into core values and H&S. There were also product appreciation courses as well as opportunities for other training. We were also allowed to plan visits to other sites as a placement group to see some of the other facilities as well as organising talks from various experts within the company.

There is some potential for placements to be rehired. You're assessed on each placement and given a rating. Then when you finish your degree there's an opportunity to be rehired if you've performed well enough. Alternatively, your application might be progressed through to the Assessment Center without the need for a telephone interview.

CAT employs a relatively large number of placement students, so there's a lot of opportunity for socialising.

Peterborough is relatively cheap to live in. I was able to find housing for under £300 per month.

I wasn't a huge fan of Peterborough nightlife as its not a student town. Its pretty easy to get to London though and Cambridge isn't far either.

I played football a couple of times a week with colleagues and there were a few socials organised as well.