Undergraduate Process Engineer Review

The placement was hugely enjoyable thanks to the interesting work provided, the friendly nature of my colleagues and the vast range of interesting engineering systems involved. The work given to me was well aligned with my university work, so using skills I've picked up on this placement and in university interchangeably has been a rewarding experience.

The opportunity to be a part of the commissioning team for SABIC's £150m ethane cracking project was a privilege in itself, but this was made ever better by the satisfaction of working alongside knowledgeable, experienced and helpful group of people. My colleagues and superiors made me feel like a member of the team from day one, mentoring me throughout the placement.

I was supervised primarily by two process engineers who provided support throughout the placement and made sure I was guided to maximise not only my productivity at work, but also to pick up useful bits of knowledge and experience for the long term. Their help and support throughout the placement was and has been invaluable.

I found the work-load that was given to me throughout my time at SABIC provided good balance. I was never stuck for things to do, but equally I never felt that the amount of work I was given was too much. One of the things I particularly liked was being assigned several tasks of various priority levels. This allowed me to keep my daily work diverse and ensured I was never stuck on one task.

In my opinion, the level of responsibility assigned to me during my placement was ideal for someone in my position. I never felt out of my depth with the work I was given, and never felt that the work I was doing was beneath my level. It was clear to me that all of the work I was given was contributing to the progress of the project in some way.

The skills I have developed during my time at SABIC have been vital in my degree studies so far and I believe this placement has helped me pick up skills for life. The exposure to real-life engineering problems and seeing how they are solved by industry process engineers has been invaluable. Aside from the hugely beneficial technical learning I've acquired, attributes I took into the job such as Microsoft Office skills and team work have also improved massively, which is likely to give me a huge advantage in the future.

Ideal - the perfect balance between work and friendly humour, in my opinion.

The placement was structured from the first day, with the first week's schedule of inductions etc. being made available to me by my superiors from the first day. From there on work and other experiences came in an organised manner, despite the unpredictability of the complex project we were working on.

The company allowed me to gain experiences in situations common for a process engineer in industry. Some of the meetings I was allowed to observe included Hazard Studies, Management of Change and LOPA. On top of this, I was allowed to engage in a number of on-site activities such as vessel entries, hazard study walk-downs and equipment installations/overhauls.

Pursuing a career with SABIC seems a highly appealing prospect.

There was one other placement student working at SABIC while I was there and we engaged in social activities both in and out of work.

Teesside provides the perfect balance for students and graduates - it boasts cheap living costs, as well as a lively and diverse social scene.

Everything you could ask for.