Summer Placement Student Review

My placement at DSTL was thoroughly exciting and enlightening. After just completing my first year at university this summer placement really helped me understand what engineering can be like in industry. I gained invaluable experience whilst earning money.

The atmosphere is very welcoming in DSTL. My colleagues were all friendly and included me in social activities outside of the office. There were plenty of other year-in-industry and summer students completing their placements at the same time as me who were all lovely too.

There was lots of guidance available at DSTL. You are assigned a team leader who provides your task and, as the organiser of your placement, they can answer any of your questions. All of the employees surrounding me were more than willing to help me out when needed and answer any queries I may have had.

I was given my own task to do which took up most of the 11 weeks I spent there. The work is primarily office based but I was given the opportunity to go on many trips out of the office, including Farnborough air show and an outreach event at a nearby high school. Work can be slow at the beginning, which is to be expected, whilst login accounts and software is installed.

As previously mentioned I was given my own task which involved CAD modelling. I was asked to complete the entire build of a vehicle, which sounds intimidating at first, but with the help from my colleagues, my task was the correct balance of manageable and challenging.

Whilst at DSTL I learned how to use CAD software that I hadn’t used before, which will be a priceless skill to have when completing the rest of my degree. It has helped broaden my skillset and increase my confidence levels, which will all be incredibly useful in the years to come.

The general atmosphere in the office was really welcoming. I instantly felt part of the team in my area. DSTL is a team based work place with an open plan office. This means that other members of staff are easy to find and the team based setup means that team leaders sit with everyone else and are very willing to answer any of your questions. I got know everyone in my working area very quickly, and people would gladly share their expertise when I was stuck

It took a long time (over 1 month) to hear back initially as to whether my interview was successful at DSTL. However, once I had heard that I was successful in attaining a summer placement, the rest of it was perfectly organised. I was in frequent contact with my team leader between being granted my placement offer and starting, to decide on start dates.

DSTL sent me on many visits outside of the office to help broaden my skillset and build my confidence. Before starting using any new software, one of the colleagues would sit and run through the basics of how to use it for at least an hour. They would also explain to me any other queries I had once I started using the software myself.

I would be delighted to complete another placement at DSTL and will most likely be applying again for future summer placements. I would definitely consider applying as a graduate. DSTL has a scheme called STEPS which helps you understand what DSTL does, and gives you opportunity to meet other students at DSTL.

The social scene between other students was great. We had a facebook chat group where we could organise events. The aforementioned STEPS group organised events such as a pub quiz, for students to get to know each other. I made some great friends whilst I was at DSTL, some of which were studying different degrees at the same university as me.

I cannot comment on the cost of rent because I stayed at home whilst on the placement due to its close location. Socialising is similar priced to the rest of the south of the UK, more expensive than more northern areas, but cheaper than London. There are plenty of things to do if you don’t like clubbing too.

Yes there were many activities outside of work such as the previously mentioned pub quizzes. There were a few house parties and nights out to go to also. My team also held a leavers meal when there was a leaver. I also ended up going to a zoo with another placement student at the weekend