Student Engineer Review

I have found my placement challenging and interesting, I have been trusted with multiple projects and have really engaged with the team I have been working in. The office environment has made the experience enjoyable and my colleagues have really involved me in the projects that are going on around me.

My colleagues have listened and encouraged me to voice opinions and have been interested in my thoughts on the work I have been doing. We have regular reviews of my progress and checks to ensure that I am happy and comfortable with all of the projects I am involved with.

I have three separate meetings each week to check on my progress during my placement. One with my line manager to check on general progress, one with my project supervisor to cover technical questions and one with my buddy checking that I am happy and comfortable with all of the projects I am involved with.

At the start of the placement I had less to do, this was mainly due to colleagues being on annual leave or meetings being scheduled for "next week" every time! But the pace picked up very quickly and I am now busy with meetings and project work and occasional site visits - not too busy though, I still have time for lunch.

I have been given a lot of responsibility and freedom to direct my project as it develops naturally. On a technical side I was 100% thrown in at the deep end but I have had so much support that I am now comfortable with the material and feel able to deliver reports on my technical assessment of the project confidently.

We have received a full afternoon of presentation training which was valuable, the technical knowledge I have gained will be helpful in my future career. Additionally, the project and time management skills I have developed will be useful in the next year of my studies when working on multiple group projects at once.

The atmosphere is lively, everyone seems to be enjoying their projects and excited about the direction the business is taking. It is also a very friendly environment, people are engaged in their work but also know each other well enough to discuss their home lives and any worries or concerns.

It's been very well organised, our inductions and introductions were scheduled for the first day and we have been able to arrange site visits and "broadening" visits to learn more about the company. Having two main projects has meant that we have had something to work on at all times rather than having to wait around when a project stalls slightly.

We have received a full afternoon of presentation training which was valuable, the technical knowledge I have gained will be helpful in my future career. Additionally, the project and time management skills I have developed will be useful in the next year of my studies when working on multiple group projects at once.

I have really enjoyed the projects I have been working on and am hopeful about the idea about returning at the end of my degree on the grad scheme to continue the work I have been doing on these projects. Also, having heard about the predicted direction of the business over the next few years I am excited to be involved in that!

We have received a full afternoon of presentation training which was valuable, the technical knowledge I have gained will be helpful in my future career. Additionally, the project and time management skills I have developed will be useful in the next year of my studies when working on multiple group projects at once.

Cost of living in Solihull itself is quite expensive so chose to live about a 6minute train from work where it is much more affordable. Socialising is priced reasonably being very close to Birmingham and the nightlife there although there are limited options for evenings out in solihull.