Placement Year Review at Visteon Engineering Services Ltd

The Role

Role Description

Climate Systems. Involved in heat-exchanger and HVAC systems for road vehicles. Day to day tasks included drawing and modelling, organising design reviews etc

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Very enjoyable placement within an excellent department.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Very much felt like part of the team, my opinion and ideas were valued.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Very good system in place for students. Excellent mentors given for personal development

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Reasonable level of work, never felt overburdened. Occasional slow periods that were filled with university related tasks.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Some responsibility given for projects, but generally felt like I was in a supporting role. Smaller tasks were assigned to myself for sole responsibility.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

There is no question about the value of a placement year. it should be a compulsory part of the degree programme, I believe it is that valuable. The skills I learned will be with me for life.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Good atmosphere in the office with colleagues always willing to offer assistance. Work/chat ratio reasonable.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Immediate departmental placement was very good. For the company overall it was far worse with departments dealing with students separately. I felt like my placement was well organised; for other students in different departments it seemed a different story.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

No formal training offered at all. This was made clear in the job interview. There were plenty of opportunities for travel etc outside of the office that was done at the companies expense. Some internal training done on GD&T.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

• National Travel
• International Travel
• Above 25 days holiday

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Appealing! Good starting salary. Reasonable room for professional development. However, redundancies during my period at the company were a concern; would like assurances that promotion would be an option.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Yes, once I got the ball rolling other students were willing. Many lived at home and commuted, so these guys needed plenty of notice. Students staying in the general area were more likely to go out. 12 other students were placed in my building. Always socialised at lunch :-)

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Cost of renting was expensive, given the area, but I was walking to work, so saved plenty on fuel. rooms in house-shares between £300-£450 a month. I paid £370 including bills & sky TV/Internet. Cheap to go out in Chelmsford. Not much of a nightlife though...

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Better over winter months when Ice Disco was on! :-) Best places to go were 'The Ivory Peg' and 'Missoula' Wednesday and Saturday best nights to go out.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Volunteered on three different days for community work.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

Excellent placement. Really enjoyed it. This was down to the department I worked in largely I think. Comparing my opportunities to others once I was back at uni I think I certainly was up there with the best of them. :-)

Review 8/8 for Visteon Engineering Services Ltd

Previous