Placement Student Product Engineer Review

Seeing as this is my first work placement and my first time working in my chosen industry, I was pleasantly surprised. Cummins has the perfect combination of giving you the support you need throughout the course of the year, whilst also allowing you to develop, as you are trusted with everyday full time employee tasks and projects.

With Cummins treating you like any other full time employee, colleagues also embrace this ethos and you feel to be an equal part of the bigger picture. There is also a general friendly, welcoming and accepting atmosphere in the workplace.

Management are always on hand to discuss anything, may that be identifying new opportunities you wish to pursue, your career development or any issues you may experience during day to day work. Management make a good effort to cater to your needs and are more than qualified to help in your progression throughout you employment.

The work load is steady and in my certain position was somewhat controllable due to the nature of the work. However if there are any issues with work load, whether it be too much or too little, management are always on hand to help resolve the issue. There is also a conscious effort to ensure no one is ever bogged down and suffering in silence.

The amount of responsibility given was on par with any other permanent employee of a similar level. This was the biggest surprise of the whole year as I was able to develop far beyond my expectation. I was entrusted with numerous tasks that I necessarily wouldn't have expected to be doing which benefited me greatly.

Working in industry and finally applying my theoretical knowledge to real life situations has been an invaluable experience. I have moved from a study best mind set to a practical one and have noticed a significant improvement in how I approach problems, projects and a whole manor of other tasks. I feel I will be leaving my position as a better version of my previous self.

The atmosphere was generally calm and quiet whilst individuals focused on their work. However it was never frowned upon to talk amongst yourselves and you were encouraged to speak face to face with colleagues. Non-work related discussions were also welcomed as individuals were trusted to get the balance right between work and play.

The initial stages of a placement I imagine are always a busy time, there were corporate training's that must be completed and with all placements joining at once, there were many people in a similar position. Following the first few weeks however there was a nice rhythm to the placement as you began taking on projects and developing, eventually working at a similar pace to any other employee.

The company was completely unrestricted when it came to the training they offered and what they invested into you as an employee and a person. I received both company specific training and industry wide accredited training which was on offer when ever I wished to undertake it.

Graduate positions are on offer yearly and placement students are made aware of these throughout the course of the year. With the completion of the placement year you already stand well above the reset when it comes round to applying for a position as you already understand the main constructs of the company.

With all placements students starting at a similar time, we all became friendly through the initial joining process as we all attended a number of the same training/welcoming events. I also became friendly with a number colleagues in work due to the social atmosphere of the office and felt I had a number of friends throughout the company.

I lived 30 minutes away from the workplace and commuted each day. The cost of living was reasonable and there was also accommodation available within walking distance of the workplace.

With the workplace being based in an industrial estate close to a medium sized town there was limited night life. I did not experience it regularly. Where I lived there was a great nightlife and other placement students also lived near, socialising was a regular occurrence.

A few activities were organised outside of work. There were regular events organised by the Sports and Social committee, unfortunately I did not attend these. But it was also common for employees to take it upon themselves to organise events outside of work and invite along their colleagues.