Engineering Placement Review

I really enjoyed the range of different projects and the amount of exposure I got working crossfunctionally and globally. I learned about certain areas of the business that I didn't think I would be exposed to before the year started, which really beneffited me and I feel this can be used in the future.

I was integrated into the team very quickly and easily because the colleagues are very personable. Also all of the placements were integrated with the graduates, new and existing, and often socialised together outside of work.

My manager always encouraged me to talk to him about any problems I was having, and also had an interest in where I thought I wanted to go with my career, and how he can help me accomplish this.

I was as busy as I expected to be. As a placement you won't be working like the seasoned managers but early on in the placement the transition was very quick and I was contributing to the projects soon after.

Over the year, I was given a lot of opportunity to lead my own projects, which was a very enjoyable experience with a big learning curve. I was allowed to lead the design and manufacture of a tool working crossfunctionally and globally which was one of the highlights of the year.

University was often very theoretical and often it would be difficult to see how the theory would develop into the practical and then how it would be used within industry. This year has given me first hand experience how the theory is used in a much bigger picture. The year has also demonstrated that some of the modules that are covered at university, are much more interesting than initially expected.

People are very friendly and do enjoy to have a laugh.

The placement was very well set up and it could be seen from early on that this is an established placement programme. There was several training modules both internally and externally, for the placement students. There was also a 2 day training course open to everyone within the business, so not only were there placement students there, but also graduates and managers. My placement was not offered in the department I was in so therefore it was an exciting experience with a lot of exposure.

The company had set up several training sessions. 4 of the full day courses were done by an external business who had specifically created these training days for the placements. Also placement students had internal training such as product awareness training which helped get us grasp how the product works. Also from what is understood, graduates have 10 external training days across the 2 year graduate programme.

Cummins, aims to progress people every 18-24 months, therefore it shows that there is a potential to progress your career and it is for this reason why future employment is appealing.

The placements often went out together and socialised outside of work. Placements also socialised with the graduates too.

Stamford being a classy place is typically more expensive than other places for food and drink.

There are a few places that are good for a night out, but not comparable to city nightlife.

There are a few sports teams locally in which people can get involved in and also there is a gym.