Industrial Placement Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year with Atkins, and even extended it to last 13 months. I got to work on some interesting, high profile projects and also had some great social opportunities throughout the year. There were also plenty of other placement students in the office, which was very beneficial.

I felt very valued by my colleagues, despite all of them being more senior than myself. Everyone in the office was treated equally, regardless of what stage of their career they were at. I also had a good level of responsibility for the project I was working on, which also helped.

I was given support by a buddy who was assigned to me on my first day, my line manager, the technical lead on the project I was working on and a mentor for the ICE. There is also a very strong graduate community who are always willing to help and support you.

I was generally very busy, and I spent 11 of the 13 months of my placement working on a project which took up all of my time. I was also given extra responsibilities which were generally related to the commercial aspect of engineering. I was never too busy at any point though.

I was given a good amount of responsibility which enabled me to learn a lot, however I always knew that I could get support from more senior members of the team whenever I needed it. I was also given additional responsibilities outside of project work such as organising the christmas party.

The main benefit was related to report writing (I spent a large proportion of my time writing and updating reports). This was especially beneficial when completing my dissertation the year after, and definitely contributed to the grade I received for it. I also developed technical skills which have been used in other university projects.

The office is very modern which makes it a very pleasant place to work. The atmosphere was also friendly and sociable, and at lunch times there were always plenty of placement students / graduates to be able to eat lunch with. There is dress down fridays which also make the atmosphere more relaxed.

The placement was generally very organised, although there are a few minor things that could be improved with the HR department. Overall though it was very well organised, and being assigned a buddy as well as a line manager definitely contributes to this once the placement has started. My line manager also got in touch before the placement started which helped.

I have completed another placement with Atkins between my third and fourth years at university (which lasted 3 months). This was easy to sort out. I also intend to come back and work as a graduate. Many of the placement students that completed their year in industries at the same time as me are also intending to do the same.

There was a very good social scene, with socials being held every few weeks throughout the year. There is also events held throughout the year such as halloween and christmas bar crawls, as well as a summer and christmas party. There was also a weekend away in the peak district, in which placement students/graduates from all over the country could go to.

Bristol is a relatively expensive area to live in. However I also believe that it is a very pleasant place to live in, so it is worth it. The office is also located on the outskirts of the city, so many people live closer to the city centre and commute to the office. A bus pass is provided for the main bus routes however, which is a big benefit.