Summer Site Engineer Review

I was placed on a relatively large project meaning there was loads to see. My work was varied and I was given loads of opportunities to develop and colleagues were really helpful. The best part was being able to say 'I helped build that' as parts of project were opened to the public.

I worked with a really good team within the site office who were keen to help me learn and set me rewarding tasks. The guys on site were also helpful and they always had an interesting story to share. There was a good team spirit. It was also clear that my work was important and a necessary part of the project.

I was given a supervisor who was my main source of help. I was given independence in the tasks I was set, but everyone was happy to help when I asked. The overall project manager was also willing to set aside time to help me with my ICE development scheme which Morgan Sindall have signed me up to.

It varied based on the work. In the first few weeks I was not very busy but as the weeks progressed and I became more knowledgeable I was set increasing numbers of tasks so by the end of my placement I was quite busy. However, all of the work was management with effort.

I was given more responsibility as the project progressed. I was working independently for most of my placement, however I was still within part of the team working towards the overall goal, and others were relying on me to complete my work.

I wasn't given any formal training, but the skill developed will definitely benefit m,e in the future. The setting out skills I gained from the Senior Engineers I will definitely use if I go into a site engineering role when I graduate. The team work skills should be useful in any career. The skills I developed were very diverse so most them are bound to come in useful at some point, particularly in design projects at university.

There was a good team morale in the office. There were multiple contractors and the client working from the same office, but there seemed to be good co-operation. When it was someones birthday or special occasion people brought in cakes.

I was given some choice in the location of my placement, although I only found out which site I was working on about a month before I started. when I first arrived on site they did not have much planned for me but this changed as the weeks went on. There was a review with the project manger at the end of my placement which useful.

The company has signed me up to an ICE development scheme with the intention of me becoming chartered after graduation. Most companies do not offer this to placement students. I have been allocated a supervising Civil Engineer who I have been told will continue to supervise me when I graduate if I work for the company.

Morgan Sindall clearly put a lot of effort and investment in to the summer placement scheme which if encouraging.,

There was a central 'orientation event' for everyone doing placements. During this event I realized there were a few other placement engineers on sites nearby and we decided to meet a few times socially. However, there was no officially organised socials, and there was no socials for the staff working on my site while I was there.

The costs of living were comparable to anywhere else really. The company paid money towards my accommodation and travel as I was living away from home throughout my placement.

There was good nightlife in the area, although I rarely took advantage of it as I knew few people in the area.

The were no social events organised by the company while I was there, but me and other placement engineers did organise a meet up for a few of us.