Undergraduate Engineer Review

I was lucky enough to work in three different departments over the course of the year which provided a good variability in projects and an opportunity to learn a range of different skills. My enjoyment varied across each department and was dependent on their relevance to my degree, and the dynamics within each team. Overall it has been a good experience, and the early starts were never as bad as anticipated.

At times, I felt fairly distant from colleagues due to not being seated away from the rest of my team. On the other hand, work was generally well received with thanks, and opinions valued.

Management varies a lot throughout the company. Whereas some managers seemed to have no spare time to give support, I now have regular one-to-ones and team meetings. I felt that having an additional supervisor was also important, as they available more to ask questions and can often provide you with work and guidance.

There were some busy weeks and others where I had very little to do. At some times, it was a case of asking around to find tasks or taking the initiative to do some relevant research for example. I was rarely overrun to the point of having to work late, and had a good balance of meetings throughout each week. Despite how busy you may get, people can always make time for a much-loved Costa (or three) throughout the day.

In one department I felt that I was given small tasks which had little value, but I was later responsible for a larger project and things which had a greater impact on the development of vehicles. I think that this was largely down to the amount of work available at certain times and within each team.

I was initially placed in a department which had no relevance to my degree, but was successful in being able to transfer to a relevant team where I am developing a huge range of skills. There are also very good opportunities for a range of training courses in areas such as presentation skills as well as on technical topics which I feel will be of great benefit in the future.

Again, very team/office dependent! I was lucky to work in one of the design studios for a large part of my placement, where there was a great atmosphere and I got to see the clay models being sculpted on a daily basis. Generally, everyone I have met within the business is very friendly and will easily brighten up your day when work is getting dull.

There is very little contact from HR once you have started your placement until you are coming to the end, but they are within easy contact if you have any problems. Changes such as moving department are however largely down to yourself and your manager to organise.

There is a large range of training courses available to develop your interpersonal skills and get training in relevant areas or CAD etc. You also get a yearly allowance from the Employee Learning Scheme which you can spend on learning a new skill or activity, which I found to be a definite perk!

A placement with the company puts you a step ahead at securing a place on the Graduate Scheme subject to an assessment at the end of the year, and includes a range of opportunities such as completing placements in different departments and time on the manufacturing line.

Definitely! The company will put you in contact with the other students who will be doing a placement before you start. This means that we managed to organise living together, and the size of the group means that there are always people around to go out and socialise with.

I live in Leaminton Spa, and the price of student accommodation is around the same as what I am used to at University. Most other things are reasonably priced, however nights out can be quite expensive depending on where you go.

The nightlife in Leamington is pretty average, there are a few good bars and pubs. In term time there are students from Warwick University around town, and the rest of the time you will inevitably meet a load of people from work who are out at the weekend!

I did not get involved with many activities with colleagues besides going for a couple of meals with my team. I would strongly recommend getting in close contact with the other people on placement or the graduate scheme, as the similarity in age means that you are a lot more likely to find things to do together in the evenings or at weekends.