Student Custom Design Engineer Review

I have really enjoyed my placement year. I found it very easy to settle in as everyone is very friendly and willing to help and you are made to feel part of the team. I have been able see and contribute to all parts of the process of making a custom implant, from receiving a request and designing the part, to its manufacture, sign-off and dispatch.

I have felt very valued by my colleagues. From day one I have been made to feel like part of the team, taking on cases myself from the beginning and helping with jobs when other members of the team have a lot of things going on. I have also been responsible for the first completion of new documents, determining what is required, and then assisting other team members to complete them.

I have been given plenty of support by my supervisor; I have been sat next to them and been able to ask any questions I have had about anything along the way. They have also prompted me and been happy to sit down and go through different things with me, particularly at the beginning of the placement.

I have generally been kept busy being given my own cases to work on. When these go a little quieter, such as when waiting for others to complete their parts, other members of the team have found other work for me to be getting on with either for their cases or other general bits and pieces which need doing.

I have been given increasing amounts of responsibility throughout my placement as I have become more confident and more knowledgeable. I am responsible for keeping track of my own custom cases, making sure that everything is done at the appropriate time for each part of the process. I am also given responsibility for other jobs on the side.

Many of the skills I have developed will greatly help me with my degree and beyond. There have been plenty of opportunities for training in many areas including transferable and technical skills as well many opportunities to further my knowledge. Generally being in a professional work environment and adapting to how things run have also helped greatly and is valuable experience.

The general atmosphere in my office has been very good – friendly and content. There has been no requirement to work in silence and everyone is perfectly happy to ask each other questions and get advice on whatever they are working on. As well as talking about work, there is nothing against stopping for a quick chat to have a break from what you are doing.

The placement set up was generally well organised as I have been in one team in one department all year. I have liked this set up (rather than moving around) as it takes a good few months to get to grips with the whole process so staying in the same place gives a good chance to be more independent in the job. The initial set up on arrival was a little slow due to waiting for requests and approvals to go through and needing to do training to get set up on the company systems. However once these were sorted I was immediately able to settle into my role.

The company seemed very happy to invest in us giving plenty of opportunities for all sorts of different training – in company procedures, transferable skills and various courses such as in orthopaedic biomechanics and GD&T. There have also been various talks and workshops that happen fairly regularly which everyone is welcome to attend.

I would certainly be interested in coming back to work for the company in the future, especially in the area I am in now, having really enjoyed the general atmosphere of the site as well as the work I have been doing. Graduate schemes are also a potential interest as these give the opportunity to move round the different departments.

There is a very large group of students as there are undergraduates, graduates and apprentices as well as others on summer placements. This makes it easy to socialise with other students, though there is not much organised by the company itself. There have been a few organised social events within my department which have been good opportunities to meet colleagues.

The cost of living and socialising in the area has been very reasonable, it is considerably lower than my university’s area. There is plenty of cheap but reasonable accommodation around due to the high volume of students in Leeds and plenty of variety for social things to do at varying costs.

The nightlife is good in the area where I worked. There is a great variety of bars and clubs that are always open and are not too expensive. As there are several universities/colleges based in the area there are a lot of others students around, creating a good, lively atmosphere.

There are lots of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work, particularly charity type things. There is a strong link with a nearby school where various activities are arranged, links with care homes, there are walks to raise money and a trip to Malawi. There is also a football club who go abroad for a tournament.