Industrial Placement Student Review

Working at Atkins has been incredibly enjoyable with plenty of opportunity to work on varied projects and develop my professional skills among industry experts. I was given lots of project work as well as plenty of learning and training materials to further improve my knowledge and skills. I have enjoyed the experience of working in a professional environment and would definitely consider applying to Atkins in the future for a graduate position.

I was always comfortable approaching colleagues for discussions about my work or to ask their opinion on a problem. I was put on a project quickly and trusted to do the job I was tasked to which made me feel like a proper part of the team. As well as inclusion at work, the team regularly organised socials which resulted in a comfortable atmosphere within the group.

My line manager is always happy to help if I have a question, as is my 'buddy' who was assigned to me as a second point of call for any support or information. I was treated as though I was a permanent member of the team by my supervisors which helped me a lot, especially in the first few weeks of my placement.

In a consultancy job there can be down-time between projects but I was always given interesting side tasks or learning challenges to keep me busy in those times. While on a project there was always lots to do and I was always busy doing one task or another. There is also a placement challenge which was an interesting task to carry out on the side when I had free time.

I was tasked to carry out calculations and write reports for projects which felt like a lot of responsibility and some of my work was delivered to clients. I was also trusted to complete the tasks I was set with minimal supervision but also to ask questions when I wasn't sure.

I was given a lot of flexibility to choose which areas I wanted to complete training in which means in the future have more knowledge around the areas I am interested in. My work at Atkins built on my baseline knowledge from uni and developed it further so when I go back to finish my degree I will have a greater understanding on some topics than when I left.

Our office was very relaxed and comfortable to work in. The team were focused and worked hard but remained relaxed and often joked about certain topics or things that happened during the day. There were socials and drinks evenings which were fun and relaxing after a long week of work.

It was quite well organised. It didn't feel as much like an internship as I was expected, more like I had started a permanent full-time job which I would say improved the experience greatly. There were lots of young person events and the business focused on making our experience here useful and enjoyable.

The company was happy to fund training and travel to attend events. I was given opportunities to travel down to the main office and take part in interesting training days within and outside of the mechanical side of the business. I also had the chance to travel for work if it would assist me on the project or if it was required by the client.

Atkins has a great graduate scheme which I would definitely be interested in applying for. The graduate community is well developed and there are lots of opportunities for training and progression within that.Personal development is encouraged which definitely makes Atkins stand out as they seem to look after and invest in their employees

I worked in one of the smaller offices but so there weren't as many fellow students in my team but the office as a whole had an established young person social scene and many of the other offices had organised monthly socials and group chats which helps to create a social group outside as well as inside work.

I worked in Glasgow which had expensive prices in some areas but if you look in the right place the rent is definitely more reasonable than some locations. I commuted by train from a little further out which was affordable and suited me best. The general costs are good and there are lots of great bars and restaurants which are well priced.

Working in a city there was definitely a great nightlife. There are lots of bars and clubs in the west end and merchant city areas of Glasgow. As well as bars there are lots of things to do in and around the city including lots of cinemas and shows to go to.

Yeah there were, there are loads of things to do in the city. The train to Edinburgh is also reasonable and so makes for a good day out. A positive of living in Scotland is also the great countryside which is easy to get to from the city and definitely worth exploring