Custom Electrical Power Solutions Placement Student Review

I loved working in Caterpillar for the 13 months I was there. I worked in the Northern Ireland facility which designs and produces power generators. I worked in a small close team that design the control systems which is ideal as this is what I hope to do in the future.

I feel like I really contributed to the team. I got to help complete the design work for a large order and work on smaller sales orders as well. I know by having me complete these orders the team really benefitted and helped meet timeline deadlines which may not have been met otherwise.

As I was working in quite a small team, I was surrounded by team mates to ask for help and guidance, which was needed on a daily basis at the beginning. But everyone was very supportive and showed me how to use the software or checking over my designs, often more than once.

There were periods of time where I was extremely busy and had multiple jobs or projects to complete at one time but this was very helpful in developing my time management skills. There were also a few times where I had no work assigned to me but as soon as I asked my supervisor there was always work to help with.

I was assigned sales orders to complete the design work for them. This was a lot of responsibility, especially close to the start of my placement when I wasn't quite sure what I was doing but my work was always checked over with me so I didn't feel overwhelmed by the responsibility at all - help was always available.

I have really developed my communication and team work skills by collaborating both within my team, others within Caterpillar and outside suppliers. I took part in training for new software packages which I can put on my CV and use to give me an advantage when looking for jobs after I graduate university.

It was a really relaxed atmosphere with some lovely men in my team. They were always available for a chat or to ask for help. However the team I was in didn't have any other girls and no one under the age of 35. While this didn't bother me it and it isn't the case throughout Caterpillar it may be an adjustment.

My placement was initially very well organized, however it was dependent on a software package which ran into issues and so I never received the program. This meant I started by helping teammates with tasks they didn't have time for until my manager was able to reorganize the plan for the year. I did get to spend 4 weeks on the factory floor in different departments to see how the product was built which was a great experience.

I was based in the Larne facility of Caterpillar which is 40 minutes outside of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Belfast is the cheapest city to live in in the UK with cheap rent and low cost of living. It is a bit of a commute to Larne though and not great public transport. There is however a large carpooling aspect and I shared a lift with 2 other placement students during the year.

There were always opportunities to get involved in charity events, such as park clean ups or the Belfast marathon which were organized by the charity committee. There is also the Women's Initiative Network (WIN), a group of over 100 male and female employees that was a great help and are very supportive of females in STEM jobs.