Placement Review at Corus Group

The Role

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Really good, lots of variety and challenges and worked with a great group of people.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Definitely one of the team. By the end, other engineers were coming to me asking how to do things, particularly with some of our systems and how to use them properly.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Lot's of support and on the job training. Sometimes thrown in at the deep end to see how I'd respond but this is how you learn!

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

When we were down for maintenance, I might work late into the night, but equally, there were quieter times as well when you could get on with the daily jobs.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Lot's of responsibility was given to me to ensure certain projects ran smoothly. I was heavily involved in a £multi-million furnace upgrade as well.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Loads of skills developed. It puts your degree into context and helps you realise what you will find useful in your future careers. This can have a direct bearing on the module choices that you might take on during your final year.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Serious when we needed to be but lots of laughs along the way.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Really smooth, I was given a site induction and then a plant induction and met my manager who had some projects in mind for me to get along with,

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Training was more on the job as opposed to formal, I guess the formal training comes when you join the graduate scheme itself.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Sports and Social Club
• Financial Bonus

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Corus take on loads of graduates and placements each year so there's plenty of opportunities. I was offered sponsorship and came back as a graduate.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Lots going on with the other placements and graduates. Football and nights out were the norm.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I lived in Newport which was dirt cheap (I paid £150/month!) but this was in 2003/2004. Others lived in Cardiff where it's a bit more expensive but more happening as well.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Newport and Cardiff are both good nights out.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

As mentioned, we set up football tournaments and did the old placements vs graduates etc. There was also another committee set up that organised paintballing and go-karting etc so really good.

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?

Overall, I had agreat placement, met loads of good people who i'm still in contact with today. I think the manager you work for can have a huge influence on your placement and is really important, but most of all...get involved and get that experience!

Review 8/34 for Corus Group

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