Project Assistant Review

I have had an amazing time at the company, being involved in such a fast growing and exciting company has been absolutely brilliant. The work was all very interesting and it is exciting to see vehicles on the road and know the details behind them.

Having already spent 15 months at JLR, returning to the same department was brilliant. It felt great to be welcomed back so enthusiastically. I quickly got to know the new faces in the team just as well as the old, and the atmosphere in the office was very motivating. I felt like there were no stupid questions and lots of places to go to ask for help.

The support was brilliant, I was given all the help I asked for but was also allowed to investigate and search the answer out for myself first before supervisors stepped in. Managers I had contact with who were not my direct superior were also very helpful, even the ones who didn't know I was an undergraduate and assumed I was a full employee.

This summer placement I was less busy than on my 15 month placement, simply because I could not take on the same type of projects due to time constraints. However this allowed me to pick up a number of smaller projects which allowed me to see more of the business and more of what the team does. I always had work to do and there was always something I could think of to help out with even after I had finished everything I was set by supervisors.

I was given a lot of responsibility, many of the presentations and data sheets I created were used in director level meetings, and the assumptions I drew were taken by my managers to a senior level. I was also able to run more of a the technical meetings, acting in my managers role when he was unable to attend. At first I was nervous of taking charge but after the first week I quickly found my confidence again.

Since the role is primarily project management with a technical focus there are many skills which I have gained on this placement which are very transferable. Meeting and working to a deadline with new people, making presentations and giving them, completing tasks efficiently to ensure you have enough time to finish everything, and acting in a professional manner are all skills I have improved here, and will be using again.

The team who sat around me were all very good friends with each other and welcomed me immediately, which made the transition back into working very easy.

Apart from some initial issues caused by the fact I was a returning student rather than a new one at the company the set up of the placement was very smooth. There was also a strong feeling of support for the scheme from HR and that there was somewhere to turn to if there was an issue.

This placement I did not undertake any specific training because I had already completed the necessary training on my 15 months placement. However I was given a lot of personal support for the softer skills side by everyone on my team, such as how to handle certain issues, how to gauge the mood of senior managers, being confident and authoritative and also how to find an answer quickly from someone.

The company is hiring hundreds of graduates every year and shows no sign of slowing down. The chance of getting on the graduate scheme is greatly improved by being an undergraduate placement student, and although technically not guaranteed, every manager who is keen to bring back their placement student provides fantastic help for passing the assessment centre.

Most summer students lived in the same private student halls together, and we were all put into a facebook group together by JLR. This meant that every student could easily find and interact with each other if they chose to.

Being in Coventry meant that accommodation and nights out were much cheaper than I was used to at uni!

Having two huge universities nearby meant that there were many clubs pubs and bars all at really good prices nearby.

The company runs a scheme which gives subsidies for any activity days or training courses outside of work that you would like to do, available to everyone in the company.