Student Engineer Review

I really enjoyed yet another summer placement with Costain this summer. I was involved in a different aspect of the project which I had not been previously exposed to- Temporary works. I witnessed the delivery and lowering of the TBM, and was involved in the preparation works needed to launch the TBM later this year. In the temporary works assistant role I had a better understanding of the type of paperwork that needed to be in place in order to actually launch the TBM. Very valuable experience, especially in such unusual times.

The only reason I managed to get the summer placement was due to a contact I had made in my previous years, which meant I started the placement already feeling valued. I was included in important meetings and my ideas were listened to and even some were adopted. It was reassuring and a real confidence boost that I was able to make a difference even in the little time I was there in the grand scheme of the project.

This summer placement I had a manager who had a different style compared to the line managers I have had in previous years. It was something that I found to be very interesting, and helped me to learn a lot about people during my placement, which is such an important part of the project. I enjoyed the fact that I was given work that challeneged me- which felt a lot more rewarding once I had finished it. There was good open communication between management and the engineering team, which enforced the fact that we were a family!

The start of the placement was not as busy as I initially anticipated but it soon got busier. Myself and two apprentices had daily tasks that we each had to get done between us- this kept me very busy.This involved taking photos and ensuring sufficient detail was included into the daily diaries. In addition it also meant organising the permit system and to do a head count for each of the operatives onsite tot ensure commercial had the correct numbers.

I feel as though I was given quite a bit of responsibility despite not being fully qualified yet- I found this to be a real confidence boost. I was trusted with tasks and documents that I was not expecting to be involved with. This really helped to contribute to amount of learning over the summer. The documentation as part of temporary works beared quite a lot of responsibility in that I had to bridge the gap between the engineers/men onsite to the designers. It was very important to portray these ideas correctly and accurately in a document sent to the designers.

The skills I learnt and improved over the summer will definitely help me through my final year at university and beyond especially for my chartership. I learnt a lot about people and working with people- I feel the skills here I will be able to take forward when completing my group thesis project this year. Being able to work on temporary works meant that I was able to learn a lot quite quickly- I have since been able to use this as evidence to be submitted to contribute towards my chartership.

There was mostly a good atmosphere in the office. It was obviously very strange as only site staff were in the office due to COVID. So this made the office feel a lot more empty than one would be used to. Despite this, I think it gave those in the office an opportunity to be closer and have better communication. I think everyone appreciated being out of the house and actually at work rather than being stuck at home- I know I did!

Initially the placement did not feel organised. This was understandable though due to the last minute nature of the placement, so I expected this. Once I had settled in, I was able to ask for work when I had completed the other tasks. I was there in a very busy time with a lot going on, which is why I think there was sometimes a lack of organisation. For me I was mostly just grateful for the opportunity and to be on such a fantastic project.

Again this was limited due to COVID. On all of my placements with Costain I have always been able to attend one or more types of training. This summer was the Tunnel safety training scheme (TSTS), that then allowed me access into pit bottom down the shaft and into the adit- this was really amazing. I have started my route to chartership even before graduating and the fact that Costain employees have been the ones to help me with this just shows how invested the company and its employees are in the younger generation.

I am definitely keen to continue to work for Costain, with or without sponsorship I would still be applying for the graduate scheme. From my experience with them, they have treated me very well and have really invested in me. I have enjoyed every placement mostly because of the type of people that Costain employ- this is one of the main things that makes them so attractive for me. It has been a positive place to go to work everyday even with early morning and late nights- the work collegues are what makes it all worth it.

There were not any other placement students on my project but there were two apprentices with Costain. We were able to form a really good friendship. This involved doing jobs together to make sure we could learn from each other as well as reviewing documents written by each other- it was really great to have people there of similar age to me and of similar point in there careeers. It was nice to be able to have them to talk to about things and ask questions one might not want to ask the manager!

I was lucky enough to be living from home but this meant communting to and from London everyday. Costain were able to pay for my travel expenses which made a lot of difference when it came to pay and expenses. London is extremely expensive but due to the travel being paid it made any financial difficulty much smaller. I was able to treat myself to some lunches when we would all buy a deliveroo as a team on a Friday- this was a nice tradition but it was not too often or expensive that I had to miss out.

Due to having to commute everyday, this made it very difficult for me to socialise after work. My commute was quite long which meant that I was keen to get home after work in order to be able to have dinner and get to bed at a sensible time before having to get up super early. The times I did stay, the nightlight was good- the team would usually go to one of the local pubs to relax after work- which I enjoyed very much

Again due to COVID it was very difficult to do any sports whilst at work. Pre covid I was able to get invovled with the sports which I found to be really great. I know that there were many opportunities to get involved with- this mostly included work with the local communities and volunteering- which seemed to be very rewarding when I spoke to those who had taken part. I think if you get the opportunity to get involved with activies outside of work then make sure you do! Its a great way to give back to the community you are working in as well as get to know your coworkers better.