Industrial Placement Student Review

My placement has been highly enjoyable. I have been able to explore an area of engineering where I have not had any previous experience and it has exposed me to a technology rich environment. I have been able to appreciate the complexities of Air Traffic Control and the amount of engineering which is required which is rarely seen.

I was welcomed within my section from the first day and have felt a valued member of the team since. I have been treated the same as any other employee which has been a great experience as it is very different to university life!

I have been highly supported by my managers. Training has been given where appropriate, reviews have been conducted and I am able to speak to my management whenever I require any assistance. My managers are always willing to stop what they are doing to have a chat at any time.

Some days I have been very busy, other days have been more steady. I have been aware of the work which I have to do and the timescales in which it must be completed which has enabled me to effectively manage my time so that I don't become swamped with work or have too little to do.

I feel as though I have been given a lot of responsibilty throughout my placement. As I settled into my section and gained experience in the relevant areas, I was given new pieces of work to complete which have some degree of importance attached to them, for example a report to be presented to senior management and external contacts.

Although I haven't used any of the technical content from my degree at university, I have been able to apply all of the softer skills and be able to think like a professional engineer. The industry of Air Traffic Management is new to me and I hope to be able to extend my knowledge of this field of engineering in the future with the possibility of completing further studies which are relevant to the industry.

The atmosphere in my office is relaxed yet professional. Everyone knows they are here to work but they have fun at the same time. This increases moral and results in a well-knit team of engineers.

On the first day I was given a training booklet. This contained details of my placement including, background to NATS, information about the engineering department and details about my specific role. NATS have a buddy scheme which entails a placement student being paired up with a graduate engineer as someone they can have a chat with. The placement students and graduates and actively involved with shaping the future of the schemes and have the opportunity to have some responsibility within this.

I was given the relevant training required to complete my job and we had various training courses and away days. I received all the support I required and NATS help you on the route to become a charted engineer by providing an IET mentor if this is a route you wish to take.

Since working for NATS I feel that this is a company which I would definetely want to work for once I have completed my studies. From the work I have been conducting, there are areas which I would be highly interested in exploring further and participating to in the future.

The placement students and graduate engineers at NATS are constantly intergrating. We frequently go out in the evenings, have a pub lunch or just meet up for a coffee and a chat.

Hampshire is an expensive county to live in although it is not as expensive as Surrey where my university is situated! There are many pubs, clubs and restaurants and they are all reasonably priced.

Being situated near Portsmouth and Southampton there is always something going on at night which placement students and graduates can be involved with.

NATS have a sports and social club which enables employees to attend a whole variety of clubs and participate in many different sports.