Student Site Engineer Review

It was a good 10 week placement. I began by shadowing other engineers but by the end had built up enough confidence to carry out tasks myself

People were generally very helpful and kind, and always trying to give me advice. Occasionally I felt like people underrated me, but my final feedback was positive.

My supervisors were more than happy to give support whenever I wanted it.

Due to the nature of the job, some days were a lot busier than others. Generally there was always something to do, but sometimes the work became monotonous.

By the end of the placement I was effectively managing two subcontractors and the company's own operatives on site.

The experience I have gained will be really helpful in any future work, and will inspire me to work hard at University

The general atmosphere was good, but occasionally quiet. As it was one open plan office with senior staff there everyone seemed keen to show they were working most of the time. We also shared the office with the client so there were a lot of different groups of people working in the same place, which has its positives and negatives.

Really well. There was a defined summer placement programme with welcome event and a final presentation towards the end. Every placement student had the opportunity to meet with a senior person within the company to discuss the placement and get feedback. There were also weekly learning sessions in which all students would dial into a presentation on a particular aspect of the business.

The company invested heavily in me. Despite only having completed one year at university, the placement was well paid, and two training events were paid for by the company. I also had the opportunity to complete a driving for work course to improve my driving skills and to be able to drive site vehicles.

The company obviously has a very structured development path, moving from the summer placement scheme into the graduate development programme. They have a variety of exciting projects lined up and with a successful company like Laing O'Rourke, job security is a big attraction. The only fault I can point out is the removal of sponsorship from the placement scheme, as this would have cemented my desire to work for the company in future.

Not really. There was one other placement student at my location for half the time I was there, and the majority of the others were based around London. There was a weekly five-a-side football session organised but as I lived quite far away I didn't have much opportunity to get involved with any social activities. Occasionally the engineers went for breakfast together on a Friday, which was enjoyable.

I decided to live at home, and therefore I commuted every day. The commute into work and my meals were easily covered by the sustenance pay included in my wage. As mentioned previously, I did not get much chance to socialise, but the generous pay would have surely covered this.

As previously mentioned, I did not socialise in the area in which I worked, but Manchester City Centre obviously has a great nightlife so I would have enjoyed this had I been living nearby. Some colleagues did occasionally go out for drinks after work but, living a good distance away, there was not much else to it.

During the placement, I was able to take a driving course, in order to drive site vehicles, as well as preparing and presenting a presentation with other placement students based around the country. The scheme also had weekly learning sessions in which some senior members of the company would deliver a presentation on different aspects of the business.