Project Engineer Review

I highly enjoyed my work placement at Allelys group. I gained hands on experience within the engineering industry and was allocated projects were I was allowed to see work completed from start to end which was one of the main reasons for undertaking a placement. I was trained and given responsibility from the start of the placement, but although at the start I was nervous and felt out of my depth, I soon warmth to the role and happily accepted responsibility. By the end I felt a sense of accomplishment and I believe I would not be the person I am today if I did not go to Allelys Group.

Colleagues at the Allelys Group made me feel highly valued during the year and the further summer placement I completed at the company. Attitude towards me was exceptionally friendly and always at hand to help. I have awarded this category with the highest mark due to not finding any flaws with the way I was treated and valued by others at the company.

I believe during my time at the company I was given exceptional and outstanding support from my supervisors. The management and supervisors was all open and friendly to questions and problems that I encountered there. Even when management was busy themselves, they would always find the time to sit down and discuss any problems that I needed support with.

Initially starting my placement, I was giving small tasks here and there to complete. Looking back I believe this was because the company had never taken on a placement student before myself and therefore was unsure of how much responsibility to give. However it was not long before responsibility was established and I trusted to carry out numerous important tasks. By the last few months of the company I felt like I had established myself within the company due numerous managers not only from the projects divisions’ entrusted tasks to myself, but managers from other departments. I would have scored 10/10 on this section if it wasn’t for the fact of a slow start within the company.

Whilst employed at Allelys, I was tasked with numerous projects with various degrees of importance. Towards the end of the year placement, I felt that I was held responsible for a lot of the work, such as engineering drawings and personally liaising with clients and 3rd party companies in order to successfully complete a job that Allelys were hired for. I do feel that more responsibility could have been further given by allowing me to be given the relevant training to enter sites such as National Grid, were a specific test is required to be completed before entering. This could have further my onsite learning experience on work that I believed I was weak at which in turn would have aided understanding of office work.

I developed and picked up numerous skills whilst being employed by Allelys Group. These included interpersonal skills by liaising with clients and third parties and organised, technical skills such as software practise, engineering drawings and calculations. The personal skills picked up have helped me develop as a professional engineer and I have now secured a graduate job with the Ministry of Defence. Although I believe the job role at Allelys Group was more suited to a civil engineer (however was previously advertised as mechanical engineer which I am), the technical knowledge I have gained will definitely put me at an advantage.

The general atmosphere in the office was the perfect balance of being friendly to one another whilst when required employees heads were heads down and working. All employees, included myself, interacted and bounced of each others conversations allowing fun and banter to occur everyday. Although the director and managers all held high authority over myself and some colleagues, they were never shy from getting involved and having a laugh with employees.

Unfortunately I have awarded below average score for this category. I was the first placement student to attend the company and I feel as though it took many staff off guard with how to initially react. There was no set schemes or training set up, however to compensate this, senior engineers and management often sat down and assisted with any work or one on one training required. Since my first employment, they have become more confident with taking on placement students and have started implementing training with the newer placement students.

In terms of financial investment, the company paid for CSCS training in order to prove competency and be allowed onto sites. Although this allowed me onto numerous sites, I still lacked a National Grid test to access specific substations for National Grid which Allelys did not wish to invest in. The company invested a substantial amount time and effort into myself by often having a senior member of staff sit down with myself in order to provide software training. However, I did feel individual learning was a necassity to back up the foundations taught to myself.

Although I am privileged enough to have been offered a graduate role within the company, since the role was primarily for civil engineers and I am a mechanical engineer, I was forced to decline the offer. I would be happy to work at the company after I graduate, but I feel as a mechanical engineer my true passion and career aspects would be sidetracked.

As stated previously, since I was the first placement student to be employed, in my first year I felt segregated from the other members off staff (due to the age difference and lack of common interests). There was no social events organised within my first year there, however upon returning for a summer placement, new placement students had started attending after me. During that summer there was a few social events outside of work.

I have given this a below average mark. Although I living with my mother for the duration of my placement, I believe travel costs to the office location which is based on the outskirts of Redditch added up to a substantial amount.

Since there was a lack of students during the year long placements at the company, and small number of people around my age I did not fully explore the nightlife until my summer placement.

Events were talked about during the duration of my time at the company, however never organised. It was not until my summer placement that events were organised.