Engineer Review

The work, the people and the environment was engaging and very pleasant to work in.

Was almost always constantly given new work. The work I was given was complex and in depth, which really made me feel like a useful and valued member of the team.

Weekly recap meetings to discuss my workload and I organised mid placement feedback sessions to discuss my progress and and areas of improvement I should be notified of. I was encouraged to ask questions and I was never made to feel like a question was not valued.

I was given a continuous supply of engaging long and short projects. The work load was perfect for me as I was given the opportunity to practice my time management and dramatically increase my organisational skills.

In some roles I was given some great responsibilities. For instance: Looking after a test cell and ensuring the test schedule was maintained. This involved problem solving and networking across the plant to find solutions to any problems. On other circumstances I was charged with the task of developing a test where I had to apply a variety of skills and knowledge. The assistance was always there when I needed it; however I was trusted to carry out the work and was not closely supervised at all. This gave me a great confidence boost, feeling that the senior staff trusted me to work indepedantly and ask questions if I need help.

With out a doubt the skills I have gained from this year will help me to excel in my final year. My time keeping and organisation have been dramatically increased and these were two areas which I struggled to manage in my previous years at University. I have developed good communication and presentation skills and overall my confidence in my technical knowledge has also developed considerably.

The atmosphere varied from rotation to rotation. Some floors were quieter than other but I made new connections with people wherever I went. It is a very friendly environment where everyone always says hello to me and I have never once felt unwelcome over out of my depth.

This year was the first year that the rotational scheme had been applied to an industrial placement and for the most of it the rotation was a success. We are required to give feedback at the end of each rotation and in our final review we are able to confidentially give feedback in to our entire rotation, outlining any issues, good or bad, experienced throughout the year.

I attended several training sessions which were carried out during company time. I attended external seminars such as MatLab. I have done public speaking training sessions amongst many others with little or no resistance from my managers. I have attended careers fairs and been involved in arranging many charity event's and community involvement projects.

I have been strongly advised to reapply for the grad scheme when I graduate as I have good prospects with the company.

We all meshed together very well and I will be very sad to leave this group of like-minded and enthused people. I have personally arranged social events throughout the year and so have other students. We have been snowboarding together, and we arrange regular nights out. We often meet up for dinner at restaurants and hold bbqs at each others houses. Some of us have arranged a holiday together and we will without a doubt stay in contact after the placement ends.

Living was very cheap, the current house we are living in cost £50 per week (not incl bills). The area has many main chain supermarkets all at standard prices and the bars and clubs have special offer nights where you can have a relatively cheap night, spending only £15. There is a surprisingly large amount of activities available with Manchester and Leeds being only a short drive or train journey away.

We have 3 main clubs with approx 10 bars and countless pubs available to us. We go out regularly and still haven't got bored. If we feel a bit more adventurous we can just pay £3 and get on a train to Leeds or Manchester where the nightlife is incredible!

While here I joined a local basket ball team, the Huddersfield Sports and Social Community offers regular trip to location inside the UK and abroad. While here /I also joined a private gym equipped with swimming pool and a huge free weights area and they also ran regular classes. I never found myself bored for something to do. If I was stuck it's easy to just jump in the car and go for a drive south to through the Peak District or north through the Yorkshire Dales for the beautiful scenery.