Purchasing placement student Review

I extremely enjoy my placement at Cummins. The placement has enabled me to pick up a wide range of transferable skills and introduced me to the world of procurement. The placement has provided me with numerous challenges and I have been made to feel like a valid member of the team, as oppose to a 'placement student'.

I work within a large procurement team here at Cummins. From day one I have been provided with support from all my colleagues, which has aided my progress. Everyone within Cummins is friendly and I have been included in many team outings. I have also received praise for my work here.

When I first joined the company I was given support by the placement student I was replacing for a month. This meant that the hand over of the role went well. Everyone here at Cummins is very accepting that you are new to the role. I have weekly 1-2-1's with my manager who gives me support.

Extremely! I am shocked at the amount of responsibly I have been given here at Cummins as a placement student. I enjoy the fact that I am always busy, as every day is different. I constantly have new tasks and projects to be working on. I like having different goals to aim towards.

I believe I am given a large amount of responsibility within the procurement team. I am able to talk to suppliers on a day to day basis, meet suppliers and make my own decisions. I believe responsibility makes you feel like a valued member of the team here at Cummins.

I believe the skills I have developed will largely help me in my future career. I have developed increased communication skills and interpersonal skills from being part of such a large team, as well as communicating with stakeholders. I have developed enhanced excel and systems skills, which are transferable to any work place or university.

The general atmosphere changes depending on the day. Within the procurement team there are many sourcing managers often out of the office visiting suppliers. However you are never on your own due to the large size of the team. Also, many other departments sit in the same office. The atmosphere is overall good.

Very well. There are currently 4 placement students in purchasing, We have a weekly catch up with our managers every week to discuss current/ new projects and how they are going. This is also a chance to discuss any issues. The student group here at Cummins is large and well set up.

I have been given the opportunity to go on a wide range of courses, which I have attended. Within the role I believe you are continuously improving, learning new things and having added responsibilities. There is always someone on hand to teach you new things and aid you in your learning.

The company currently offers graduate roles.

Yes, as there is a large group of students there is a good social scene. A lot of people get together to go out.

Darlington is cheap to live. I had to move away from home and do not have any financial difficulty renting a house and there were many houses available. Also, there is a choice of people to live with as there are many students. The cost of socialising is standard to any other city.

Darlington is right near Newcastle and Middlesbrough. There are many opportunities to go out and go to a variety of places. There are many places to go out in Darlington, for example bars and night clubs. All the students tend to get involved in this. There is also work nights out for specific departments.

Yes. Within the procurement team there are many outside of work social activities. Within cummins there are also lots pf groups and charity work to get involved in.