Vacation Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the placement and thought it was an excellent insight into work I could be doing as a Graduate Engineer. Noticeable efforts were made by my colleagues to ensure I was always busy, and the atmosphere in the office was very pleasant. I was also allowed to extend my placement from a 6 to 9 week placement as I was enjoying it.

On the first day of my placement I was introduced to the majority of the staff I would be working with, and within the first week felt like I was part of the team. My efforts were praised and I felt like a real effort was made by my colleagues to include me in the current works and projects. I was allowed to extend my placement by 2 weeks, and was then asked to stay on an extra week to finish off a job I had started while a colleague was on holiday.

While I was still learning the basics during the first few weeks. My supervisors were checking up on me regularly, over coffee etc. to ensure I was not struggling and to check I had no problems. Towards the end of my placement they did not check up as much, as they already knew I was doing ok and would let them know if I had any problems.

The majority of my time spent at Arup I had just the right amount of work to do. No-one expected too much or too little of me and as I was given new jobs to work on as soon as previous jobs had been finished. A couple of days when there was not work for me, I was encouraged to study and practice what I had learnt, which helped with my understanding of the work.

Towards the end of my placement I was given quite a lot of responsibility. For two jobs I worked on during my time at Arup, I was trusted to carry out significant CAD work and complete the relevant feasibility reports. I was also left work by a colleague to complete whilst he was on holiday, he briefed me on the task but then I was trusted to carry out the work myself

Whilst a lot of the skills and knowledge I picked up were in a completely new sector (Rail) which I had never studied at university, carrying out a placement was an excellent way to get a feeling for the type of works that a graduate engineer would perform on a day to day basis. I was also encouraged to attend training courses during my time with the company.

The atmosphere in the office was always very good. I got on well with the teams I was working with and working there was a pleasure. I had no problems during my time there but would have been very happy to chat to anyone about anything that was troubling me. Everyone there would have been more than happy to help me and I felt like a normal member of the team, not just an intern

I think that the work placement was very well set up, my induction answered all of the questions I would have asked and within half a day I was working on real life projects. I was shown how to enter my timesheets and how to send IT requests etc. I was also shown who to speak to regarding any problems I might have had.

I feel like a lot of time and personal efforts were invested in me during my time spent with the company, I was encouraged to attend training courses and people spent as much time as needed showing me how to use relevant software. It never felt as if anyone was rushing or skipping through detailed explanations

I am fairly confident that I will be able to secure a future with the company based on how my placement went. I was told I was welcome to return at Christmas, and was told to keep in contact with my supervisors.

Yes, I was always invited to go out with the team on a friday night, even though I only attended a couple of times due to previous commitments. I was also invited to play in the weekly 5-a-side matches that my colleagues played.

I was working in Manchester during my placement, but I live in Manchester so the prices are what I was used to.

I enjoy the Manchester nightlife

Yes, I was always invited to go out with the team on a Friday night, even though I only attended a couple of times due to previous commitments. I was also invited to play in the weekly 5-a-side matches that my colleagues played.