Systems Engineer Review

Interesting job with great co-workers. Not a lot of emphasis on training and skills development, just getting on with the job, but still very enjoyable and I have still gained a lot from it.

Fantastic atmosphere in the office, everyone is always really helpful and approachable. I have never felt that I am less important because I am on a placement, I get the same respect as any other employee and always feel that my input and opinions are valued.

I had meetings with my manager every other week to discuss and concerns, questions etc I might have and to evaluate my progress.

There could have been more organisation for the first couple of weeks where I often found I was bored, but things picked up as I got into my role. There have been times when I haven't had much to do but also times when I have been really busy. Most of the time it's a happy medium.

I was given the same amount of responsibility as a graduate employee - I started off working alongside others but was quickly given my own pieces of work, which was fantastic. From early on in the placement I was chairing meetings with experienced engineers and working closely with the customer, which was challenging but a great experience.

My placement wasn't that closely related to my degree, but I have still gained soft skills which will help me in my final year studies. The technical skills gained are fairly specific to the job, but skills such as communication and confidence working with experienced engineers will be very helpful in the future.

I was working on a customer site, which is quite different to working in a normal office as we have to create the right impression to the customer. However, in general the atmosphere has always been relaxed and really friendly, there's a lot of joking and laughing when appropriate but also a nice quiet atmosphere to work in.

This depends what you are looking for from a placement. The first few weeks weren't that well organsied as we weren't knowledgable enough to start proper work and there weren't enough spare resources for anyone to spend time keeping us busy. After that it was more a case of getting on with the job than a structured placement, so if you are just looking for a job it's great, but if you're looking for a structured year with a focus on your own development it may not be the placement for you. There are opportunities to learn things outside your day to day job but this is on your own initiative and in your own time.

There isn't a lot of training and development on offer. The focus is on the job, and as Lockheed Martin is working for the NATS customer it makes it difficult for them to invest in training for us (our time is charged to the customer). The very limited amount of training there is has to be done in your own time, for example during a lunch break.

I have been given a letter of intent - if there is a job available, I will be able to take it (subject to a good degree result).

There are lots of graduates and a few other placement students, so there is a lively social scene. People from different departments mix really well so there are lots of opportunities to get to know people.

I lived at home so didn't have to rent, but most people rent in Portsmouth which is a little on the expensive side but not too bad. It has a good social scene too.

Most people at the site I am working at live and socialise in Portsmouth, which has plenty of clubs and bars to enjoy!

A few charity events but not a huge amount. There is an annual Relay for Life which is good fun, and a football team. There are also some opportunities to join in with NATS Sports and Social Club activities.