FES Review

There is plenty of opportunity to get involved in various projects across the Plant which can vary from mundane administration, meetings with suppliers and integrators to travelling across the country. I was given a fair amount of responsibility and some important projects and this gave me quite a lot of job satisfaction. There is a lot of room for you to make what you want of the Placement, if you put the effort in, you will get the rewards in terms of respect, trust and responsibility. It can be quiet at times but this is the best time to show autonomy and find yourself tasks to do.

Very much so, those who I worked with everyday treat me as a full time colleague and I was entrusted to carry out some important tasks, I felt included and this made the Placement far easier. My Supervisor went out of his way to ensure that I was introduced to every department early on and invited me to as many meetings and events as possible which helped. There are some difficult cases where older staff/shop floor workers are hesitant to being spoken to by a student but this is very rare.

My Supervisor did his best to smoothly merge me into the business and he always made sure that I had a project or task to keep me occupied. Throughout the placement, I always felt supported and he was always available to answer any questions I had. He also made sure that everyday was a school day for me and taught me about every corner of the Automotive Industry as he could, far more knowledge than I would've ever learnt at University.

Some projects I was involved in would occupy an entire day for weeks on end with plenty of meetings and tasks to do. However, with the nature of the business and the current issues around Brexit, there were times where projects would dry up and we would need to reassess any projects that were paused.

A great deal, I was tasked with introducing the first examples Automation to the Plant by installing robotics to a manufacturing line and AGVs to the Logistics Finished goods delivery/withdrawal. I was allowed to contact suppliers/integrators specialising in robotics, hold meetings with the chosen companies to establish the business' needs and develop solutions alongside the companies to best suit our need. This gave a a good exposure of the real world of business and I took a lot form it.

I now feel a lot more confident in myself as a person and a colleague. The experiences I have had over the past year will support me going forward in to the final year of University and beyond into a graduate career. This past year has also shown me different career paths and self development opportunities that I would have otherwise not considered.

On the whole, the atmosphere was great, there is a lot of good humour and camaraderie. Once you're used to the business and settled in, you will be included in conversations and general banter which always makes the day easier. Some days can be tense depending on the situation with the Plant, but this will occur in every workplace.

The interview and recruitment process was swift and relatively simple. There was plenty of time for a handover form the previous student and introductions to each function of the business. However, once settled, there was very little communication between students sited at different plants. Only two student events held, one at the start of the year and one at the end. Another event in the middle of the Placement would have perhaps meant more lessons learned from other students at different sites.

In terms of projects and activities I was tasked with then quite a lot, but financially there wasn't much I feel. There were no opportunities to attend training sessions or gain any extra merits or qualifications. If you didn't fully engage yourself in this Placement and Company, you wouldn't come away with a lot.

There are Graduate schemes available and in some cases VIE (voluntary international experience) schemes. However, these are only available to a student if there is a position to fill, and in most cases if there is a role available, it will not be in the same location as your Placement.

All the students got on well and came out of the Placement as close friends. There were plenty of occasions for social events inside and outside of work. Some students are based in the same office which does make settling into the business a lot easier and helps with the office atmosphere.

Just outside of Newcastle so cost of living, eating out and socialising is relatively cheap, especially when compared to London rates. There is not a lot in Washington itself so all students lived in Newcastle and commuted to work daily, with any social events being held in Newcastle.

As before, based just outside of Newcastle with all of the students living centrally. Plenty of nightlife with a lot of variety too depending on what you prefer for a social event. Most nights out are safe, fun and quite cheap.

There were no events organised outside of work by the company itself, only by the people/students working there. Students were always included for events/nights out organised by full time staff. Around Newcastle, there are plenty of opportunities for activities after work depending on what the individual wants/needs and the occasion in question.