Rail Solutions Summer Placement Review
by Atkins
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.3
-
The Company
3.1
-
The Culture
3.1
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
Thouroughly enjoyed my 10 week placement. Very relaxed and flexible with lots of potential for learning. Invited to join plenty briefings, meetings and even taken on a site visit. Was also invited to several after-work social gatherings which was also very welcoming.
Definitely treated as an equal, without feeling patronised or ignored. Ideas were always heard and everyone was friendly without exception.
Supervision is excellent, usually involving a comprehensive informal briefing of the project background before any individual task is given. You are then usually left to your own devices having been given specific tasks and objectives. Questions are always welcome and help gladly given, though sometimes I had to do a bit of explaining to my supervisor to bring him up to speed on the specific task.
As with most engineering consultancy, workload varies depending on what bids have been secured and what is coming in. Spent one or two days doing very little but most days I had something to work on or look at.
Obviously responsibility increases depending on your knowledge and previous experience. I never had to do any filing, coffee making e.t.c, far from it. I was usually asked to complete project-related tasks including design work, calculations, procurement, report writing and even some accounting! This made me feel very personally involved in the work and proffessionably responsible.
A real insight into the world after university and the field of civil/structural engineering design in general. Though not immediately benificial to university progression, my time here will open many doors in terms of career prospects by familiarising with the way things are done and how the sector operates.
The Company
Relaxed and low key. No shouting or running about, just quiet conversation. Fine for me, but I could see how some might find it dull.
Onboarding was done by a specific branch using a computer program. However, bank details, taxes and pensions had to be tackled independantely via email to HR. On starting day, there was no briefing or training. Just given a tour, introduced and shown a desk.
Flexi Time
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
One of the big firms with many branches, sectors and specialties. Plenty opportunities for ongoing training and promotions.
The Culture
Good group of new and continuing placement students. We were all in different departments though, and socialising had to be self organised.
Reasonable city centre prices for socialising (Glasgow) with plenty options. Travel can be quite costly from outwith the city boundary though.
Mostly self organised social gatherings (i.e leaving parties) with no company paid/discounted activities.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Business Operations, Engineering, Logistics and Operations, Civil Engineering, Product Design
Scotland
July 2014
