Tribology Placement Student

Role Description

Tribology is a field of engineering dedicated to studying friction and wear of components moving relative to oneanother. Lubrizol manufacture chemical additives for engine oils and the job involves creating and improving bespoke tests to assess lubricant performance. The job is a research and development job so it's difficult to say what you will work on day to day but projects are aimed at improving the performance of engines, gearboxes and other components through cutting edge research. Plenty of 'real engineering' and constant challenges to keep you busy!

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The Role

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

I I had a great year, the work I was doing was real work. It wasn't easy at times but there was always somebody willing to help and the fact I was doing useful work for the company really appealed to me.

5/5

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2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

Everybody is extrememly friendly and supportive and treated me like a 'real' employee. My work was valued and contirbuted to real, important projects.

5/5

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3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

I had a supervisor who was always willing to help on any project, even if they weren't directly involved. The support of the engineers both in my department and other departments was also brilliant.

4/5

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4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

The odd slow day is unavoidable but generally I was very busy. I was in charge of my own workload largely so could always find a way to progress a project. There were times where there didn't seem to be enough hours in the day which is great, I'd always rather be too busy than not have enough to do!

5/5

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5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

I was soley responsible for the running of two projects with budgets of around £100K. The direction the projects went in was largely in my hands but support was always available!

5/5

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6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

I was able to build on vital skills like project managment and presentation skills throughout the year with continuous practice and feedback. I improved my presenting skills a lot in my year at Lubrizol which will stick with me through my career and help with the next two years at university.

4/5

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The Company

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

It would be hard not to get on with anybody at Lubrizol, everybody is really friendly and there's a real community atmosphere around site.

5/5

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8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

Other placements might rotate you around a few departments and try and give you a lot of different experience. Lubrizol doesn't have a set placement plan for students, every student will be working on different projects for their year doing real work within their department. It doesn't particularly feel like a placement, more like a job - which I really enjoyed.

4/5

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9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

There are times I would have liked to have gone on training courses or business trips to gain a bit more experience. It's not unheard of for students to go on extra courses or trips but it will depend on if your projects require it. There's no real set training scheme, but all H&S training and other internal courses (such as presentation skills) are available throughout the year.

3/5

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10. What were the perks on your work placement?

Flexi Time

Subsidised Canteen

Sports and Social Club

Company Parties/Events

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11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

There's no guarantee of a job after your placement but you are essentially on a year long interview. If you impress then it's not unusual for you to find your way back in when you graduate. A few of the engineers here were students on placement before being offered a job when they graduated.

4/5

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The Culture

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

Most students live together in student houses in Derby, and regularly went to pub quizes, bowling, dinner, nights out etc.

5/5

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13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

Pretty similar to student accomodation prices, can be cheaper if you rent your own house privately.

4/5

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14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

Derby is closeby for nights out.

3/5

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15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

There's a sports and social club running everything from badminton to climbing and trips to London. Small membership fee of £5 gets you massively susidised activies all year.

5/5

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