Student engineer Review

It was a fantastic first look at the civil engineering industry, it gave me the opportunity to see many different trades from QS to site engineers. It also involved surveying, quality management and some planning work. It covered almost all aspects of the site work and gave me the chance to work with many different individuals.

Upon arrival to site I attended a training day at the Maiden head offices which allowed me to meet other summer placements, once i arrived on site I was instantly welcomed and put to work. The whole team was very open and willing to answer any questions I had regarding various tasks.

My line manager was fantastic, he put a lot of effort into making sure that I had a very broad covering of all the roles on site. I was also given a engineering buddy that made sure I was always doing something and showed me the site process. I also had a midway meeting with my line manager to ensure I was on track and for filling my role.

The site that I was involved with was just in the process of starting works so it was not as busy as other sites but it also gave me the opportunity to be more involved in the temporary works process, and also attend more site meetings that would usually be too busy.

I was given various tasks throughout my time on site, these involved planning works, setting out for night works, creating permits for people to work, updating trackers to check that the work has been done, surveying areas of land so that the compound can be moved and even attaching signs to inform landowners, public of works.

Whilst on site I attended various training courses covering surveying, cat scanning, temporary works supervising, health and safety. Along with this training the other site works such as creating permits, planning works, using surveying equipment all will be beneficial to my future. Even talking to people who have years of experience is something that I will remember for life.

The office had a brilliant atmosphere, it was productive and yet still maintained a good atmosphere. The whole team where very willing to share their expertise through some sit down sessions and give an in depth explanation of what they do. The team also made sure I had something to do and always offered to take me out to site.

From the very beginning, Costain where very well organised and offered to pay for any travel expenses that I would have, I was also invited to a training day that would explain what would happen on a summer placement and how Costain works as a company. The whole experience was very easy and people were available at every stage of the placement.

Throughout my placement I attended various training courses that would help me develop as an engineer. I was also supplied a laptop and various other pieces of equipment that was all ready for when I arrived on site. I was also given expenses that I could use to cover travel and any training I did outside of the site.

Hopefully as I move through my masters degree at university I will be able to join a graduate scheme and hopefully receive a job at the end of it. Costains have been very open and appear to offer previous summer placements a chance to attend another placement if they are willing to attend.

This particular scheme was a joint venture with Galliford try and they had college students who were trainee engineers. The team on site treated all employees the same giving everyone the chance to have a role on site. The Costain team was quite small but everyone new each other and was very professional in their behaviour.

The site offices where located in a very small town called Crick which didn’t offer a lot to do, but the area in which I was staying had plenty to do on weekends so and wasn’t too expensive either. Costain also had an accommodation allowance which helped cover the costs of staying away from home.

The night life wasn’t particularly active but the various members of the site team would organise trips out to watch football etc in nearby villages. Northampton was the biggest area for night activities such as the cinema. The team also had a dinner to allow people to get to know each other.

The site had a paintball day which was great as I got to meet people I had previously spoken to, it was also followed by a dinner that again provided the opportunity to meet fellow members of the work force. The staff would also organise the occasional dinner. In my personal time here was many opportunities to attend events.