Quality Engineering Review

I really enjoyed my placement year. Specifically my department (QA Department) its was welcoming and relatively easy to settle in to. The tasks I was given varied greatly from day to day which played a vital role in my placement satisfaction. It was also helpful to have 6 other placement student doing similar level of roles.

I felt valued by my collogues who I worked with for my different or progressive perspective on solutions and also my technical abilities in the likes of testing software. I sometimes did get appointed less important admin roles but this was thankfully no often and would not require a lot of time.

My manager provided a lot of support throughout my placement. From the beginning I received great guidance on new tasks which I had little to no experience on. My manager always made the effort to set aside time to help me with any projects I had or with regular training to help me progress trough the year.

I was relatively busy during my placement although some times were slow. Through the majority of the year I had my daily duties to do first thing in the morning for the first few hours. Then I would continue with projects I had already started or had been assigned for the remainder of the day.

I was given a good level of responsibility from my manger. This was built over time starting relatively low at the beginning and increasing as I gained trust from my department. Towards the later half of the 12 month stint I was leading projects with budgets of reaching £5,000 upwards

I received a few direct skills that will assist my studies such as good testing etiquette that will help me reliable test for my investigative dissertation and FMEA experience. I also gained good team skills and project management which will assist my during studies and further down my career path

My office generally had a welcoming friendly vibe which was perfect when starting my placement. It can also be very fast paced at times during the day as this is what the automotive industry requires. There is a great amount of knowledge throughout my coworker which made it a very helpful environment for learning in.

There was a small amount organisation during my placement which came from 2 progress meeting from my university mentor

The company put investment in to induction training at the beginning of the placement to help us get comfortable in a professional working environment. I also received multiple training opportunities along with technicians in QRCI and 8D / corrective actions training. At the end of our placement we also received a wrap up event which helped us use our experience gained on a CV or in an interview and how to progress after university.

Future employment prospects within the organisation are very appealing as Faurecia is a very large company with plants across the world. The are many graduate opportunities in the UK and also a scheme set up to allow graduates to work at any Faurecia plant across the world for up to 24 months

There were very few social events trough work as a lot of the employees are more mature and have families. But everyone was still very friendly and social during work

Washington and near by city Newcastle are both relatively low costing in comparison the rest of the UK. The cost of rent in Newcastle can vary from £75 upwards a week in various student / young professional areas. Socialising areas such as bars, restaurants and clubs are affordable also with regular mid week restaurant deals

The nightlife in nearby Newcastle where I lived is definitely among the best in the UK. There is something for everybody due to the vast number of Bars and clubs in the area aimed towards students, young professionals and incoming party goers at the weekends. There are also high variation in price as cheap bars are available in the city center along with more expensive and luxurious nightlife.

There were very few activities outside of work