Junior Design Engineer Review

The projects I was involved with were both interesting and enjoyable, and many of the people I was working with were both friendly and helpful.

The work I was being assigned increased in complexity over time as I became more proficient with the design techniques employed by the company. Some of the tasks also had very small time constraints which meant I had to design efficiently and accurately. This obvious trust in my abilities from my managers instilled a sense of value in me.

Looking back on the placement, I personally felt I didn't make the most of the help on offer, particularly in the first few months. Later on I made an effort to ask more questions and for guidance more frequently, and 9 times out of 10 someone would be able to quickly offer me a bit of assistance. I felt the company's approach to this was very much "Learn by doing". This has its advantages & disadvantages as on the one hand I was able to actually see where I was going wrong and then find out the best way of correcting this in the future, but it did mean that some tasks took longer than they should have.

As in any company, the workload increased and decreased over the year. In terms of design work, I was often assigned a batch of components that formed an assembly that later went on the final product, so I had several things on the go at times. This meant I could move straight onto my next tasks once one was finished. As the year went on and I became more responsible for what I was designing, I would also often have to discuss design and manufacturing issues with other departments, and occasionally perform checks on finished components.

My responsibility increased as the placement went on. Anything I designed would be checked by one of my managers before being released for manufacture. In the first few months, any production information (Material/specifcation/finishing treamtments etc...) would be handled by them, but as it went on, it often became my task to decide on how my designs would actually be made. Obviously, there was always input from senior designers, and as previously mentioned they would be checked before release, but I felt very much responsible for the components I was working on.

The first project I was assigned to was a replica racing car, which is very relevant to my degree in Automotive Engineering with Motorsport. I was involved in aspects of designing the car, of which a large majority was composite components, something that is very prevalent in the motorsport world. I was able to do a bit of work in the composites department where I learned about the various methods of CFRP and GFRP lay-up and the steps involved.

Little to no talking in the office. This was helpful on occasion, particularly if I was working on something particularly complex or had a lot of tasks on the go, but it did create this slightly awkward atmosphere in the office. Outside of the design office, the atmosphere in other departments was much more friendly.

I was quickly introduced to the way the company was structured and whom I would be reporting to during the year. I was also made aware of who I should contact with any issues or problems I had.

I was given lots of different work during my placement. Some of this was design work, some was more hands on such as working in the composites department or the build shop. Being allowed to experience all aspects of the design and manufacturing process improved all the aspects of my work as I was much more conscious of how my designs would ultimately be produced, and how I could make my designs easier to work with. Obviously I required guidance for a lot of this work, particularly in the manufacturing side as it can be complex and have many different steps. This meant someone had to give up some of their time they could have spent on other projects to assist me, but the company handled this extremely well and they have a very good idea of how to help their students on their placement year. It was made very clear that the company knew this was a "learning year" for me and was very keen to ensure I got as much out of the placement as I could

My acceptance of an employment role with the company would depend on the kind of work they could offer me. As my degree is very much on the Automotive side of the engineering spectrum, the aerospace work that is the company's main area of design doesn't particularly interest me.

I made a good group of friends during my time at RP and occasionally met up outside of work

I can't really comment on this. My hometown was just 30 miles away from work so I was able to spend the year living back at my family home. Socialising in the Sussex area isn't horrendously expensive, but it really does depend where you go.

Pretty non-existant. However, Brighton is just a short drive away which is home to plenty of bars/clubs/gig venues etc...