Mechanical Engineer Review

I integrated well working with the wider team to obtain a mix of work experience and to raise awareness of the need for innovation on site. There was a continuous acquisition of knowledge as I absorbed the most out of this exposure to an on-site working environment with experienced engineers. I throroughly enjoyed working with the people and on-site for the Liverpool WwTW project with Costain.

I was made to feel valued from day one, collating information and developing enquiries for subcontracting work which went out and I saw the results from commercial meetings further down the line. The people I worked with were very likeable and I learnt a lot from them to develop my technical competency and to establish professional relationships. In progress review meetings my opinion on issues and possible solutions were taken onboard and not immediately dismissed, the team ensured I was learning all the time.

Costain appointed a 'buddy' to help me through the placement, introducing me to the project and guiding me on any mistakes on completed work and how to go about carrying out certain tasks. My line manager was a useful source to point me in the right direction when it came to completing company based placement objectives such as compiling a brief report on project innovations to be spread through the company for a wider audience. The line manager ensures you always have a sense of direction throughout your placement to get the most out of what you want. Also, the wider team were friendly and constructive in their feedback of cooments made or work done by myself. This helped me to settle in quickly and crack on with some productive work.

Inevitably there was a couple of days settling in period, if not just to get my head around the scope of the project I was working on by attending inductions, visiting the site and reading variuos project summaries. Once I had settled, the team ensured I was always active attending meetings and carrying out assigned tasks. The training team behind the scenes of the placement at head office set a number of objectives which worked well to get me integrated with the working team quickly and to extend my learning through the wider team on the project. Placement objectives were set to encourage communication with the team and development with plenty of opportunities to get your teeth stuck in and showcase your skills.

I was employed as a Mechanical Engineer to work on the AMP5 SBR upgrade as part of the Liverpool WwTW project. The main tasks and responsibilites assigned to me were; Key Tasks: • SAS transfer pump station design • Scissor lift option for access between two levels scope for enquiry • Ventilation checks on air manifold pipes • Structural checks on lifting beams • RAMS forms as part of “iosh managing SHE in Costain” course manual • Material requisition and quality inspections Responsibilities: • Shadowing mechanical supervisor team • Steelworks management (penstocks, platforms and pump station pipework) • Developing a BIM demonstration • Raising innovation awareness • Safety on site visits I have also worked around the wider team to acquire a thorough understanding of the projects design and processes as a whole by attending meetings over a multi-discipline range. For me, personally being assigned tasks showed the team were ready to trust that I was responsible and competent. All work is checked by another colleague so inevitable mistakes can quickly be learnt from alongside their experienced professional opinion as feedback on your work.

My experience dealing with extraction fans for ventilation in an air blower building should stand me in good stead when tackling my final year dissertation based on fluid dynamics analysis of turbulence over airfoils. The methods of organisation and keeping notes in meetings for future communication was also of a good resource to me as I have improved how I organise myself to carry out certain tasks. There is a re-occuring theme of safety branded across all the design, construction and maintenance aspects of the project. I shadowed the Mechanical Supervisor team to gain a thorough understanding of how to carry out various risk assessments and method statements for mechanical installations.

The office was large enough for space to work in and it was well air-conditioned so the conditions were always comfortable. The layout was such that different engineering disciplines could easily communicate to the team members they need to. My colleagues were friendly and helpful when answering any questions I had so I could learn from their experience.

I was assigned a ‘buddy’ to refer all my work to and all my work would be checked for mistakes so that I could correct them and progress with my work on the project. He helped me to settle into the job quickly and introduced me to the rest of the team. My line manager was another useful resource to point me in the right direction when tackling tasks assigned to me by the team on-site or by the ‘training and talent’ team back at head office. Throughout the placement there were a number of objectives assigned by this team to encourage my integration with the team and to produce tangible evidence of learning to be distributed on the company social site, so both parties became beneficiaries.

Being offered a summer placement, the investment in you is conspicuous. The company has an agenda to bring in young talent to secure future work. In return. I had the opportunity to be exposed to a leading engineering company for the first time. I developed SHE skills in working through a SHE management course and shadowing the Mechanical Supervisor team on site. A key learning curve was in operating team meetings to ensure I am communicating the right information in an efficient manner. Working with experienced engineers gives you an invaluable insight into how projects progress and the fundamental decision processes throughout its lifecycle.

After your placement, there is a self-assessment and a review with your line manager, whereby future work opportunities may be discussed, and if both parties agree that you’re successful this could lead to an offer of a graduate job once you finish your university degree. A placement with any company is worht its weight in gold. There is a strong incentive from the company to get their employees to chartered status, so that stands as an advantage over competitors when bidding for future work. Costain will assist you in becoming a Chartered Engineer and this opens up many more opportunities for job prospects, making a career here very appealing.

I spent the majority of my placement as the sole undergraduate on a placement on the site. Despite this a couple of events were brought to my attention although these lay outside the period of my placement , the relationships I had built enabled continued contact. I think the longer you spend with the company, the more activities will be opened to you.

I commuted 40miles daily from my home to work in Liverpool, so the cost of living and socialising didn’t reflect the close environment. The on-site canteen was cheap enough and Costain provide travel or accommodation allowances depending on your residence preference. This was a paid work placement and all necessary costs were easily covered by the salary.

I didn’t experience the nightlife Liverpool had to offer during my time working there, but from what I gathered from my colleagues the pubs with good ale and grub are cheap and plenty!

I was made aware of some social groups and activities going on within the company outside of work, a group of cyclist invited me for a tour of the Lakes but I was busy that weekend. As relationships with your colleagues improve over time, you can easily find out what everybody’s interests are and organise something form there if you so wish.