Industrial Placement Review

I am halfway through my first placement which is in Structures. It was a topic I didn't really enjoy at uni but using it every day in 'real-life' application shas made it more enjoyable. There is a lot to learn but that keeps it interesting. I am also getting to see lots of things other people do in their job role for a more broader picture of how the business works.

They are all very friendly in the office and open to asking questions. They are very helpful and we get on well. The other people who started as placement students too are also good to talk to at lunchtime and by email if we have questions.

My line manager has been great in answering questions and making time in his day to go through what work I have been doing. If he is busy there are other people I can ask for help. Besides the work we do they are also helpful in general day to day things with where to eat, clocking, hours etc. At the start we agreed some adjectives and that was good to see what I wanted to achieve by the end of the first four months.

At the very start I spent a lot of time sat with people to learn what I was doing. As I became more independent I sometimes got bored when I ran out of work and they were in meetings to either help or give me more to do. I have never had too much work to do which is good as I don't feel pressured. I can always find something to read, either books or online, to keep busy.

Some, the work we did I worked on alone after being told what we were aiming for and suggestions on how to do it. Everything was checked so that we agreed it was right and things could be explained if I was unsure why. The work will then go into a report that people will be using in the future.

I have learned a lot more about excel which is a very useful skill in engineering. As the job is structures based this will be helpful when I go back to uni next year as I hjve a much better understanding. I can see a lot about aircraft life cycle here from design onwards and so that has been helpful in me thinking about a potential future career in the area.

Relaxed. We had windows onto the runway so whenever an aircraft flew we could go look and see what it was. there was a whiteboard with jokes on for a while and we built a leaflet tower! The office is very open so people come in and out to talk to people and there weren't loads of phones ringing. There are smaller rooms for meetings.

From applying to starting I knew what was happening and everything was sorted for when we started. As there were lots of people this had to be done. The only thing I would have liked to know sooner was which area my first placement was but I knew a week or so before. The introduction was good to meet people and see where we fit into the company.

They are really good and offer online training for lots of topics and you can ask to do ones that aren't assigned, They are flexible to trying placement sso you can see what fits you best and that makes it interesting, They offer summer placements between undergrad and grad too to keep you interested and learning,

Provided I do well in this placement year I get offered a job on graduation, where I try 4 6 month placements on the graduate developing you scheme before choosing where I want to finish up at. Lots of people who start here have stayed 20-30 years so the job must be good to stay around. Work contracts vary so depending on where I end up will see what job opportunities follow.

I stayed in Lytham St Annes which I thought was good value for money. Blackpool isn't far away and nor is Preston and both are affordable. I didn't go for nightlife so can't comment. But Blackpool airport is good and they have an employee club. I also scuba dive and the local club is very good too. There are lots of things to do around to be sociable.

Preston has lots of places you can got o and so does Blackpool. I haven't been to many but they are there. The smaller town sand villages in between these two around Warton area have pubs and bars but not the same kind of nightlife. It depends if you are a city person or a beach/countryside person. there are options and you can always go further afield to Manchester.