Industrial Placement - Engineering Review

Very enjoyable placement with a lot of like minded students also doing placements. Other employees were great to get a long with and the work load was well balanced

Although the work I completed was mostly out of the direct spotlight of the team, I was made to feel like it was valuable to the work they were doing. My colleagues took an interest in me and invited me to social events quite often.

My preferred working style is to be given a task and then be left to work on it with the opportunity to ask questions when needed. Cummins were very accommodating of this style of working, and I always had the support and guidance when needed. I also liked that the supervisors were not constantly standing over my shoulder, and allowed me to carry out work in the way I saw best.

In every team I worked in, there was ample work for me to do and there was always side projects that I could get involved with if they were of interest to me. The work varied a lot also, which meant that I got to see many different aspects of the engineering that takes place at Cummins. Work included design & drawings, testing components, data analysis, customer & team meetings, and a good amount of hands on work.

I was given plenty of opportunities to be accountable for delivering a piece of work during my placement, and was given the necessary support and guidance when required.

During my placement I took part in a lot of training, and had the full support of my managers in doing so! I have been able to learn a lot about failure modes, the products we sell, internal IT systems, and some processes used generally by the engineering community (DFMEA, DVA, etc.) This training will be of much use in my future career, as I will be able to apply a lot of this knowledge in almost any job I go for. I was also given the chance to learn Macros during my first rotation, and in doing so I have since been able to create several tools to help the teams I have worked in.

Although a little quiet at times, the offices I have worked in have had a good atmosphere. The people get on well, and have a laugh at times, but also get the work done that's required. I have never seen a negative atmosphere in my time here!

During my year at Cummins, I have spent time in 4 different departments in Huddersfield. Throughout this I have had one constant manager who oversees the welfare of the placement students, and then in each department I have had a manager who set me work. Whenever I have had issues, I have known who to go to about them. The transition from one placement to the next has been very well managed and I have been able to find out what the new team is doing and start work almost immediately!

I have taken part in a lot of training, and was fully supported by my managers in doing this. There was official training, which I booked onto through the training calendar issued to all employees, and there was also a lot of people happy to sit down and spend the time teaching me, sometimes over a few days. The level of training has been very helpful to my understanding of the company, the products, and the processes followed to develop and improve products.

Towards the end of the placement year, we will be considered for sponsorship when we go back to university. If sponsored, there is a very good chance of employment on the grad scheme when we graduate. Even if we do not get sponsorship, by having a years experience at the company we have a competitive edge over others who apply.

A lot of the students share houses together, and we have been on a lot of nights out, play football twice a week through the Sports and Social club, regularly go on days out, and have even been on 3 European holidays together! The social life is really good, and we all get along well with each other and mix with placement students from other departments (marketing, finance, logistics, etc.) Within the teams I have worked in as well, I have been to social events and meals after work

I can't comment on the cost of living, as I do not rent, but socialising in Huddersfield is relatively cheap. There is a lot of choice for things to do, and with Manchester and Leeds only a short train journey away there are some great nights out to be had! Transport isn't too expensive, although its best to look at all the options before travelling. there's also a choice of places to buy food and drink from, so you'll never be struggling!

In Huddersfield, the nightlife is more "Cheap and Cheerful" with mostly bars in the town. Camel Club and Tokyos are the main two places to end the night, and are a good night out. Personally, I prefer getting the train through to Leeds (there's trains that run back during the night as well), as there is a lot more variety in terms of clubs, music, and things to do!

Cummins has an initiative called Every Employee Every Community (EEEC) where each employee is encouraged to spend a few hours a year doing some voluntary work during working hours. There are many opportunities for this covering a wide range of activities. During my time, I have spent a day creating habitats for great crested newts, helped at 3 careers fairs, and went to the Big Bang fair in Birmingham for two days The sports and social club also arranges a lot of subsidised sports activities (including a gym), days out and holidays