Industrial Placement Student Review

I am thoroughly enjoying my placement at Atkins. From the get go, I have been welcomed as part of the team and have had plenty of opportunities thrown my way. The work I've been assigned has been interesting so far, and although it took some time to be given a project, it was worth the wait.

I feel very valued by my colleagues, I've been assigned a graduate buddy who I can go too for advice. Additionally, there are loads of events to enable socialising such as free beer on the last Friday of the month and networking dinners. Everyone in the office has been friendly.

My line manager has been extremely helpful and has provided me with lots of insight into my career. This includes recommending different projects or advising me on what I might find interesting. When I joined we had a chat about my career aspirations and what I intend to achieve during my placement which has given me goals to work towards.

Initially, it took time to assign me to a project. For the first month I was spending my time independently researching and doing online courses. However, once assigned work, I've been much busier without being overburdened. The workload is manageable, and I know I can talk to my line manager if I ever feel like it's getting to be too much.

So far atkins has provided me with a lot of responsibility, and I have already been sent to work in other offices and have been placed on secondment with one of their clients. They trust their placement students to perform and are more than happy for you to represent the company.

Due to the nature of their business, I will have the opportunity to take part in several projects throughout the year. This rotation allows me to try different things and has helped me to figure out what interests me. I have also had ample opportunity to complete courses through their learning hub such as systems engineering and asset management.

The office is a fun place to be, and everyone is really friendly. Whenever I needed help, my colleagues would always be more than happy to advise. There are amply social opportunities both within the office and outside of work. People work hard during the day, but also play hard.

The placement scheme is fairly well structured with clear milestones including the placement challenge. The induction was effective and you are provided with everything you need from the get go such as a work laptop and access to sharepoint. The nature of consultancy, however, means that it might take time to be placed onto a project and start working.

Atkins provides a learning hub with loads of free courses for you to take, with a wide variety of topics including systems engineering and project management. They also provide in-house training such as asset management. They give you a lot of responsibility on projects, giving you a chance to develop.

The graduate scheme looks appealing and is something I will be interested in joining. There are amply opportunities for progression, and I feel like I can influence the projects I am given so that I can work on what I find interesting. You can also become a chartered engineer through the scheme, which is crucial for engineering.

There is a good social scene, with lots of graduates and interns going to local pubs on a Thursday evening. Additionally, the sports and social club provides countless events throughout the year from surfing to the theatre. There's always stuff going on if interested, including free dinners and free beer and pizza Friday.

Bristol is a fairly expensive city, but as Atkins is based quite far from the centre, finding a place nearby is relatively affordable. Most strike a balance between price and proximity to the centre though as Patchway is a fairly boring area. Drinks aren't as expensive as other places, but still add up.

The nightlife in Bristol is strong, with loads of clubs in the city centre including Motion. Bristol is very much a student city, so there are also lots of cheaper clubs on the Triangle, as well as pubs and bars. If you want a night out, Bristol is a solid place to do it.

There are ample activities to get involved with outside of work, the sports and social club puts on loads of events throughout the year such as surfing and skiing. Additionally, there are sports clubs to take part in. As well as the pub on a Thursday evening, there are plenty of team socials.