Placement Year Review at NATS

The Role

Role Description

As a systems engineer it will be expected that I design and implement a system that will benifit the company, and maintain its safety record in handling flights over the UK.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I throughly enjoyed it, and learned a lot more about air traffic control in the UK. As a student it allowed me to hone the skills I've been taught while at university for use within the industry.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The employees within NATS were all very friendly, from day 1 of my placement. They accepted me as another member of the team and not just as a student who was their temporarily.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

While there I had no official buddy, I was given plenty of support by the employee who was directly responsible for overseeing the project I was assigned.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Some days I had a lot to get done, while others it was just working on one specfic job. At the beginning of the placement there were times when I had nothing to do, although it was beacuse they were still assessing what to give me.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I was given my own project to work on. Creating a prototype of a system and proving it can work.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

My programming skills have improved greatly during my placement years, which has allowed me more time to work on other projects while back at university. Unfortunatly the documentation skills I learned while working haven't helped much while at university due to work getting to the point in as few words, whereas universites impose word limits.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The atmosphere was good in the office. Every birthday led to cakes, and jokes were plently.

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

When I joined the placement scheme, there was no clear defined placement scheme. However during the year there and working with the graduates, we helped the company create a scheme for future placement students.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

They gave me adequate training during my first week there. And additional training when I began working with specific systems. The company has additionally funded my last year of study and given me a project to do for my final year project.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

• Flexi Time
• Sports and Social Club
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• National Travel
• Company Parties/Events
• Above 25 days holiday

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I have been offered a graduate job with the company on the condition that I receive a 2:1 in my degree.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Yup we generally met during the lunch hour to socialise, and we organised a few outings together.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Southampton can be an expensive town to go out socialising in, espicially on fridays and saturdays.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Nightlife is good, plently of choice of where to go, Nightclubs, bars, pubs etc.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The company hosts a variety of clubs for the employees to get involved in, and we organised events for ourselves additionally.

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?

It exceeded my expectations in everyway. The pay for a placement student is good, they involve you on actual operational systems if that is where the work is needed. I got to travel up to the new centre in Scotland. Plus received support and equipment for my final year project.

Review 5/10 for NATS

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