Controls and Calibration Undergraduate Review

The placement was fantastic - I thoroughly enjoyed working within my team and my colleagues were extremely helpful. The company as a whole is excellent to work for with plenty of support from each department. The work I was completing was meaningful and its impact on the business was visible, even from my junior level.

My colleagues were very welcoming and eager for me to learn more, not just about the company, but engineering as a whole. They ensured I received well-rounded guidance on the work I was completing, and allowed me to stretch my capabilities by working on additional tasks throughout the time I was with them.

My manager was extremely helpful and dedicated to ensuring I had a useful placement, not just for the team, but also myself, allowing me to develop and find areas of interest; for example he enabled me to spend a day shadowing in another department to establish whether the work they complete better suited my skillset.

Initially the workload was lower, however by the time I was leaving I felt like a member of the team and always had plenty to do. If I didn't have enough work, I simply spoke to a member of the team and they quickly found me something to complete, there was always plenty to be done!

I was able to take on work which I would have expected to be given to more experienced and knowledgeable engineers. The feeling of inclusion and responsibility was integral to the experience and was of great benefit, as it helped me gain a feel for the company better than simply shadowing would have.

Skills across the board were developed whilst on placement, from interactions with colleagues and attending meetings, to real engineering which cannot be experienced in a classroom or lab. They will be valuable when returning to my studies and will help improve my means of working for the rest of my career.

Whilst being in an office is naturally a professional atmosphere, the people working in it were polite, helpful and very welcoming, which made the experience extremely pleasant. The companies way of looking after its employees is very commendable and its clear that those working here have a passion and drive for the company.

There were occasionally times where information would not be received very quickly, which led to uncertainty, especially at the start of the placement when arriving at the company and during the application process. However, once the placement was underway the communication was far more fluid and was commendable, especially from the representatives mentoring us throughout.

If training was necessary or a cost was involved to allow me to complete my work, the company was very forthcoming and did not restrict my development. So long as there was a valid business need for expenditure it was never an issue and my manager was very helpful when considering this.

The prospect of returning to the company as an employee or a graduate is an excellent one, and I would be more than willing to return. The company seems invested in its graduates and their development even more so than at undergraduate level so is definitely an excellent development opportunity.

My fellow undergrads were very sociable and we regularly met up at work for lunch, but also did other evening and external events like going to the pub. We also went out for meals within my team which was a great opportunity to see my colleagues outside of the workplace.

A number of undergraduates chose to live in Coventry, which provided good accommodation at a reasonable price. Leamington Spa was also an option which was closer to the work site but somewhat more expensive. Socialising also followed the same principle, as Coventry was cheaper than Leamington Spa, but often we would socialise in Leamington as it was closer to site.

As mentioned previously there is a good social scene in both Leamington and Coventry, with Leamington being the more expensive option of the two. It was also a quieter atmosphere considering its smaller size, and the population of local university students was low since they had all returned home for the summer. Coventry was by contrast much busier and livelier.

There were a number of schemes which enabled colleagues to meet up and do social and sports activities away from work, including netball or football teams and meet ups in the pub. If someone wanted to create a social or gathering the opportunity was always available and good communication between teams enabled the undergraduates to network and meet up.