Summer Placement Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at Atkins. Having carried out a placement year and a summer placement there before, it was nice to return to the Structures team and to be given more responsibilities. I was able to work on two different projects during my two month placement, which were both interesting and challenging.

I felt very comfortable and valued working at Atkins - I already knew the majority of the team when I arrived and the new graduates who I met there were equally as welcoming. Help was provided to me whenever I asked, and I was praised for the work I completed.

I was given all the help I needed from my supervisors on the projects I was working on. Somebody was always able to answer my questions. I also had a good relationship with the structures team manager, however I tended to seek support from other team members first. I discussed returning to the team as a graduate with my manager which was good.

At the start of the placement, there were times when I did not have that much work on. Therefore I would carry out my own research regarding different engineering topics. After a week or so I was fully involved in project work and was generally busy all day, every day.

I was trusted to work on two different projects in two small teams. Therefore I was responsible for a reasonable amount of work on both projects. I was not in charge of any summer students, since the new graduates had this responsibility. Perhaps when I graduate this responsibility will fall to me.

It is useful to work on real-life projects because they show you the mindset and process which you should follow for university projects. My engineering skills were refreshed and developed, for example I learnt how to do some new calculations. This should help me in my final year project and all the experience I have gained will also count towards becoming a chartered engineer in the future.

The atmosphere was very friendly - everyone was always happy to help and answer questions. There were also quite a lot of new graduates which were around my age, so I was able to make many new friends. The office layout had also changed into 'agile working' since I was last at Atkins, and this meant each day you could sit at a different desk and next to a different person if desired.

I am fortunate that I have known the team for so long and therefore was trusted to work on different projects. However, I had seek out my work as this wasn't planned by a supervisor before I started. In terms of equipment such as laptop etc this was all organised very well and I had everything I needed on the first day.

I was invited to numerous lunchtime seminars during the course of my placement. This 'continued professional development' was both useful and interesting. I was also provided with several resources such as codes of practice which will be useful for my studies next year at university. Furthermore, I was offered a permanent job for when I graduated.

Very appealing since I know the team well and I understand how the company works - I have actually been offered a job for when I graduate, which is exciting. The job will then train me up to become a chartered engineer one day. I aim to achieve this within the first four years at the company.

Definitely - everyone in the team was very friendly and generally sociable. Every month there is a structures team meeting followed by a trip to the local pub which was great for getting to know colleagues a bit better. Furthermore, I became good friends with several of the younger graduates.

Euston is in central London and therefore it is quite pricey with regards to drinks at the pub. I imagine living in Euston would also be very expensive, however luckily I lived with a friend in the east of London where it was cheaper. On the other hand, food was affordable in the area I worked in.

There are several bars and pubs surrounding the office which was great for after-work drinks. I believe there are a couple of nightclubs too about 10 minutes walk away from the office. There are plenty of restaurants in the area as well, particularly towards Tottenham Court Road Station which is about a 15 minute walk away from work.

London has so much to offer and therefore I found it the perfect city to work in. With regards to activities to carry out with colleagues, I would say work drinks and touch-rugby was about it, however in my own time I was involved in lots of activities, for example visiting the theatre.