Quality Placement Student Review

I enjoyed it very much. It was great for making new friends and having new experiences in situations and places that I'd never been in before. It will really help with my final year at university because even though it's not directly related to my degree, I think about things differently now and take a different and better approach.

One of the first things that stood out to me was how much everyone wanted me there. They were so eager to see young faces with new ideas and really revelled in having a completely different view from someone else which they never would have seen. I felt really appreciated.

I was given constant guidance and my manager was always available to ask questions to, be it face to face or on the phone. I only had one point where I wasn't sure of my purpose for the company and how I was making a difference. I just booked a meeting with my manager and he explained in more detail the plan for my projects over my time at the company and I could then see how my work was affecting the business for the better.

I was never overly busy or overly bored but my work wasn't a constant flow of perfect balance either. I was always really busy on Tuesdays due to deliveries/collections but then towards the end of the week it would be more relaxed. It taught me to prioritise certain tasks and to leave less urgent tasks to later on in the week.

I felt very important to be given so much responsibility. It included being the leader of my own project, taking complete control of the calibration process for all measuring equipment in the building and also being a large influence in deciding on a new contract with a supplier. I definitely wasn't just in the background.

I have learnt so much to do with my degree and how certain modules, which I have previously completed at university, actually come into action in the real world. However, the most valuable skills I have gained are about business and working life in general. For example, how supplier and customer interact.

In the office the atmosphere was calm and professional. However, on the shop floor the atmosphere was a lot more laid back and fun.

My manager had specifically requested a student with my academic background and when I arrived he already knew what projects I was going to be completing/taking part in. He had organised them so I gain the most diverse experience possible. All of the students also went on a 2 day training course when we started in order to get to know each other and the company.

Knorr-Bremse invested a lot of time into my personal development. I completed a training course about how I interact with people and how I learn. I also went on a business trip just to view another part of my department in order to gain insight that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to gain.

It is a great company to work for. As a full time employee you gain even more employee benefits. I was offered the graduate scheme which you can only get onto by being offered as a placement student. I don’t think I’ll accept the offer due to the company being too far away from my hometown, which I am pretty gutted about.

Yes, brilliant. I had a joint gym membership with another placement student. I met up with the other placement students for nights out, days out, etc. I also played badminton every Tuesday and Friday with full time employees as well as placement students. I hope to carry on seeing these people when I’ve left.

I rented a room in a house for 360 pounds per month which was great. Large supermarkets made food cheap. However, for a good night out or decent shops you needed to travel 30+ minutes.

The night life was available but quite far away. It had to be planned well so we could share £50 taxis and all be at one person’s house because we all lived in different towns. Directly near me house or my work there was the odd small pub but other than that it was empty.

I joined the gym, the Christmas choir, the DIY team for a local care home and ran the sports day.