Human Resources Review

by Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems (UK) Ltd.

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.8/5
  • The Role
    4.0
  • The Company
    3.8
  • The Culture
    3.6

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • The placement year has been extremely enjoyable, offering me the opportunity to put ideas and theories I'd learnt in academic studies into practical application. I had the opportunity to go to conferences, visit our sites across the country and go to our head office in Munich. There was a good amount of flexibility at KB - with a requirement of 37 hours a week but with core hours between 9 and 3:30 Monday to Thursday and 9-12:30 on Friday. This meant people could come in early and go home early, and also allowed a slightly extended weekend.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Being involved in Human Resources in particular allowed me the opportunity to interact with a wide range of colleagues through different initiatives. The atmosphere throughout Knorr-Bremse showed it was a 'friendly' company, with Christmas gifts given and meals out for retiring staff. I also got involved in 5 a side football at KB, which enabled me to meet a wide range of people I wouldn't normally have day-to-day contact with and was good fun. As well as this social events were organised by the placement students, such as meals out, go-karting and bowling.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I was given a large amount of support by my manager, with monthly progress meetings and I always received helpful guidance if I didn't know how to do something. Staff are friendly and although you feel fully integrated into the department, there is also the understanding that as a placement student you have a lot of learning to do and the support framework is in place to help you with this.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I was busy most of the time at KB as the nature of the job meant that there were multiple deadlines for different inititiatives. Working here has helped me manage my time and plan what steps I'm going to take to get the work done.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was given a large amount of responsibility on the placement, being required to deliver projects from start to finish, and interact with different department managers on a day-to-day level,

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I improved a lot of soft skills on the job such as how to interact with people, and how to push to get some things done. I also learnt a lot of technical skills useful for the rest of my career, such as knowing how to use SAP, payroll management and recruitment methods. In particular, the placement instilled in me a better work ethic and time management skills which will be crucial both when it comes to writing my dissertation and in my future career.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The general atmosphere in the office was positive- it's an open plan office so there is lots of interaction between the different departments.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The placement scheme is well-established and has been running for a number of years. Before the placement started, a meal was organised between the new placement students, the current placement students and the current graduates which was a good opportunity to socialise. In our first few weeks of placement, we were taken to a hotel for a 2-day course on what the company expected from us on our placement and also what are expectations were. Here we were given folders containing materials that would be needed on our placement such as time management books. We had monthly catch ups with the graduates in the bistro, where we could air any concerns or issues that needed resolving.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • I was given the opportunity to attend a number of conferences and I also received training in interviewing.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Sports and Social Club

    Company Car

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    National Travel

    International Travel

    Financial Bonus

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Above 25 days holiday

    Working from home

    Healthcare from home

    Healthcare/Dental

    Travel loan

    4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • There is an investment in placement students because there is a requirement for new people within the organisation, particularly as it's in the engineering industry in which there is excess demand for graduates. I haven't yet heard if I've received a graduate job but there is a demand for new staff as the company has been expanding recently.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Students would regularly eat together, play 5 a side football on a weekly basis and we organised nights out, meals and activites such as go-karting and bowling.

    5/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • The cost of living depends largely on where you are based. Bath tends to be more expensive to rent due to the large student population but rental prices closer to work are comparatively cheap to most student cities, being somewhere in the region of £300-400.

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The nightlife in the immediate area around work is limited, but in Bath (15 miles away) there are a large number of bars and clubs. A bit further afield is Bristol which has lots of good places to go, and a number of students are based here and commute in to work.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There was the opportunity to get involved in 5 a side football for KB staff members. Outside of work, I regularly played squash in the local sports centre.

    3/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Human Resources, Recruitment

South West

January 2016


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