Summer Intern Review

I really enjoyed the work. The first week or so can be a bit of a struggle getting yourself up to speed with what is going on in the project but once you do the work you’re given is challenging and relevant.

Everyone at Kier from the first minute couldn’t have been more helpful. I was working in the structures team and everyone from the project manager, agents and site engineers went out of their way to make sure I was getting the best out of my placement. Engineers from other teams were also more than happy to help me out and teach me about what they were doing aswell.

I was given great support. The management were open and happy to answer any questions I had. I felt comfortable going to them with anything that I needed to. The engineer that I most closely worked with was brilliant with me and went the extra mile to help train me and be available if I had any questions about my work.

The first week or so i wasn’t too busy but as soon as I was up to speed with what was happening on the project that quickly changed. I was kept busy in the team I was assigned to, and if for whatever reason I had run out of things to do then engineers from the other teams were more than happy to let me go on site with them and see their work too.

For the first couple of weeks i didn’t have much responsibility, but once you start learning and gaining experience you quickly get given more and more. By the end of my placement i was being trusted to work independently at times and what I was doing was important to the job.

From my personal experience, civil engineer courses at university are heavily bias towards the consulting side of the industry. Actually being out on site and working helped me develop so many more skills and learn so much that I wouldn’t have been able to if I just went through uni with no placement. I developed a much better appreciation of how things are actually done.

For the first few weeks we were in temporary offices while the new compound was being constructed. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming but I was sitting in with the tech team. When we moved across to the new offices I was sitting next to an agent and in with other engineers. It was good fun and everyone would have a laugh but I would also learn a lot just from overhearing conversations between engineers and agents etc.

Around halfway through the placement there was an issue with my being on site as I didn’t have a CSCS card. I think that in the interview process it should be made clear that this is needed. However apart from that it was well organised, I was placed with a site engineer to learn from and help carry out his day to day activities before being trusted with some other independent work too.

Within my first week Kier put me through CAT & Genny training. The engineers I worked with went above and beyond to teach me about what was happening and make sure I was comfortable on the tools.

There is the chance of being invited back for a second placement next summer. This depends on feedback from my line managers. There is also a graduate scheme in place that you could potentially join.

There was only one other student on the job but she didn’t stay local. There was a really good social scene with the site engineers who I was working with. We would go to pub quizzes and out for meals etc. It was good fun.

Bar prices were fair and there was a few really good restaurants round about. Rent was quite expensive for what you get, but it wasn’t terrible.

There’s a few nice cheap pubs and two nightclubs in the town.

Myself and some of the engineers would go for a meal or drinks outside of work. There is also a few amateur football teams in the area but not much Kier related.