Summer Student Review

My colleagues really helped me enjoy my time at Atkins as they were really laid back, talkative and funny. At some points I was a little bored as they were currently between a few projects so didn't have enough work at an appropriate level for me. Overall though, I was very satisfied.

Everyone was very friendly from the offset. I was paired with a graduate engineer who had been with the company for a year. She took me under her wing, showed me around and helped me out when I needed it. My line manager was also very helpful and caught up with me weekly.

My line manager was always on hand to help me with my timesheets, submitting leave requests and other admin tasks. I was assigned a "buddy" who worked closely with me and helped me if I had questions on the work I was doing. The other colleagues in my desk bay also advised me on occasion.

The main downfall of this placement was the lack of work. It seemed there was not that much work available for the staff as it was, so finding me something to do was tricky. However I did get involved in meetings and was giving smaller tasks to keep me busy.

While most of the tasks given to me were small and didn't impact a project to too much extent, there were a few occasions I was given a greater opportunity. For example, I was tasked with designing a cross-section through a car park and footway which was then checked my an engineer and drawn in AutoCAD by a technician. This cross-section was used in the final design.

Through this placement I have gained a lot of knowledge on minor highway and car park design. This knowledge might come in useful for design projects at university but I doubt would help with my core modules. One of the main skills I developed was working within a team and asking other people for help when needed, which is an invaluable skill for life.

Everyone in the office was very laid back, talkative and were always having a lugh with each other. We would normally talk about the TV we were watching and what we'd eaten recently while doing our work. Every now and then we'd go on a "toast-run" together to the shop downstairs for breakfast snacks.

To start with they had me on a 2 week contract even though had applied for an 8 week placement. I then had a lot of IT problems as I had been put on a temporary account which expired after a week so I was unable to access my emails, skype or project documents. This was eventually sorted out after 3 weeks.

Having enjoyed my placement this summer I told my line manager I would like to come back next year. He is now in the process of sorting this out and is in contact with me. A girl I worked with had just finished her 2nd placement with Atkins and had been offered a graduate job.

I worked within the transportation team who organised monthly social events. When I was there they did laser tag and had a BBQ. These were open to placement students, senior team leaders and everyone in between so were very inclusive. There are also wider office socials such as a Christmas party open to all staff.

There was sporting opportunities with a football team and lunchtime pilates classes for wellness. There were several transportation-only socials that I went to on placement, but there are also events aimed at the whole office including Halloween and Alton Towers Scarefest and a Christmas Party which are both coming up soon.