Rail Placement Review

I found my placement enjoyable as I was given a good insight into a number of different projects which were currently taking places within the department. I found the placement alot more enjoyable when I was busy and had alot of work to do and as the placement went on I was given more responsibility and different work to do. I found the most enjoyable work I did during my placement was when I was working within a specific team working towards a deadline

As the placement went on I felt more valued by my colleagues as I was able to show I could be given responsibility for more detailed or important tasks. I felt as if my colleagues appreciated the work that I did for then and that I was helping them out, not just getting in there way. I was made to feel very comfortable by everyone I met with in the department.

I was given a fair bit of support by the management and when my supervisor wasn't around other people were there to provide me with work if needed. The head of department checked in with me a couple of times to see how the placement was going and I also had a catch up with my supervisor a couple of times to see if was enjoying the placement.

Some days I didn't have much work on so I found it boring sometimes however as the placement went on these occurrences became less and less. Most of the time I did have work to keep me busy on a daily basis and usually I could get on with most of the work without needing guidance

I think I was given more responsibility as the placement went on as I was able to show I could carry out tasks to the standards that they wanted. I had one key job which I was completely in charge of myself which I feel gave me the most responsibility.

I think many of the skills I learnt helped me for after I graduate such as team work and communication compared with knowledge that will help me with my degree. However some skills I learnt such as CAD will help me with design projects as part of my degree. I think the skills I developed will mostly help me show I have experience when I look to apply for jobs

The atmosphere was very friendly and also more relaxed than previous offfices I have worked in before. However everyone was still very professional completely work to very high standards. People were encourage to take a lunch break meaning you could get away from the desk for a good amount of time

I feel the process between the initial application and finding out whether I had got an interview took a long time however once I attended the interview and secured the placement everything was organised extremely well and went very smoothly

They tried to give me exposure to a number of projects so that I could see the different tasks involved. Also many of the projects were at different stages so I could gain an understanding of the procedures followed in design and what level of information was required at each stage. My manager was very willing to give me his time to help me understand something or explain a task.

Future employment prospects within the organisation are extremely good, the office I was in alone had taken on 25+ graduates the year before and was planning on doing the same again this year. Many of the graduates were happy with the time and investment the company put into there development.

I didn't spend much time with any of the other placement students however I spent a lot of time with the graduates in the department who were very friendly and there was a good social scene amongst them. Outside events were organised weekly and many people attended such as meals or nights out

I lived at home so the cost of living and socializing was the same for me.

The nightlife was good, close to the office there isn't much nightlife however a short train journey gets you into the centre of Birmingham which has lots of options for nightlife.

There were lots of opportunities to get involved with activities: football and badminton were arranged weekly by the office. Many social events were organised throughout the month with a range of different activities. Lots of the graduates organise these events and they got good turn outs