Advanced Vehicle NVH Review

I thoroughly enjoyed working for JLR, it was great being part of a team and feeling like I was contributing to the business. Everyone I worked with was friendly and supportive. I got to spend time in the cars (going round the test tracks they have on site), as well as at my desk, and I enjoyed the balance of practical work to office work.

All of my colleagues were friendly, and offered to help whenever I needed it. They were all keen to teach me how to do things, especially at the beginning of the placement. They gave me tasks to complete but didn't constantly watch over me, they showed me how to do it and then let me get on with my own work, so it was nice to feel trusted.

During my placement I was allocated a manager, a mentor and graduate buddy. I had weekly reviews with my manager, but on a daily basis I worked with my mentor and she guided me through my time at Jaguar Land Rover. She always shared her work if it was interesting and always found something interesting for me to help with. My graduate buddy also invited me to shadow him when he was work which was particularly interesting and he also gave me lots of advice on how to make the most of my placement and what it was like to be on the grad scheme.

Most days I had plenty to do, although there were times I was slightly bored. If I asked for work however, someone would always find me something to do. My work was very varied, I spent probably 70% of the time at my desk doing data analysis amongst various other computer based tasks, but got to spend around 30% of my time out on the track in cars, helping to do calibrations and assessments (not only of JLR vehicles but also competitor cars).

I was given a good amount of responsibility during my 3 month placement, it was definitely enough to challenge me whilst not too stressful. My managers gave me a task and let me go away and complete it by myself (giving help if needed), expecting me to produce a result within a certain time frame.

I have undoubtedly developed skills for life during these 3 months. I have learnt what it's like to work in a team, but also have an individual responsibility within that team; learning how to manage my time effectively to deliver on time. This will not only help with my studies at uni but also in future working life.

The atmosphere in my office was very professional but everyone was friendly and took an interest in your personal life, without intruding or sharing too many details about life outside work. Everybody got on in the office, there was no gossip about other members of staff and no moaning or complaining about other members of staff. The atmosphere was also light-hearted and it was ok to have a joke and a laugh as long as it was appropriate and didn't distract from work too much

It was very well organised with a three day hotel training session at the beginning, followed by regular meet ups with the undergraduate team so you could ask questions, and a structured appraisal procedure at the end of the placement. You also got a project definition stater pack at the beginning of the placement explaining your objectives for the three months.

The company invested a lot of time and money into its undergraduates, especially by providing three days training and team building at the start of the placement in nice hotels with free lunch. During the rest of the placement, other colleagues were very friendly and helpful and took a lot of time out to train me up to use different software and showed me how to analyse data for myself.

I got offered a place on the graduate scheme at Jaguar Land Rover near the end of my placement. The grad scheme offers many opportunities including completing a masters degree and support to become chartered. There are various modules you can complete at nearby universities which are paid for, and you get a week off work (whilst still getting your normal pay) to study for a module.

Although accommodation was expensive in the area, the cost of socialising wasn't too great. Most people rented a room in halls in a nearby university (warwick or coventry) which was fairly cheap although a bit of a drive to work (if based in Gaydon). Leamington and Warwick are quite expensive places to live.

Leamington is where most students from Warwick univeristy live during term time, and so there are a selection of nightclubs, pubs and bars to suit a range of preferences. Coventry also has a fairly lively night scene but depending on where you are living can be an expensive taxi ride home, although it offers bigger clubs than Leamington Spa.