CES ETAM Review

I found the placement very enjoyable. The work I completed was interesting and occationally stretched me.

My work colleagues were respectful and supportive. The team was very welcoming and seemed to appreachiate me being there.

My line manager was very helpful and supportive. We had weekly review sessions to ensure I was comfortable with the work I was completing and felt I was able to ask for assistance at any time.

Apart from a few slow days, I had sufficient, varied work throughout the placement. This included site visits, meetings and working with the other placement student I worked with,

Although my line manager encouraged me to seek help when needed, after being set the work, I was left to complete this with the other placement student I was working with. I was expected to organise meetings and any necessary visits in order to produce satisfactory work at the end of the placement.

The information I gained while on this placement will be invaluable for my degree. I gained information specifically related to modules in my degree and also found areas of engineering that I would be interested in working on in the future. I think this placement has improved my organisation and communication skills.

The office atmosphere was very warm and welcoming. I felt able to seek any help needed from my work colleagues but also felt able to ask questions about their work and their careers. By the end of the placement I felt part of the team.

The placement was organised exceptionally well. The first day of work I had my laptop and PPE sorted and work set which meant by the afternoon my partner and I could start on the job. By the second day I was fully inducted onto the site. Also, dates of the final review were circulated very early, meaning I was able to plan my work to include preparation for these presentations.

My role did not require specialised training above what I would have been taught at Uni, so I didn't attend training courses. However, National Grid strongly encourage us to attend site visits and set up meetings which will expand our understanding of engineering and the business. An example of this was me and the placement student I worked with spent a day with a substation engineer where we were taught all about how a substation worked and were able to ask questions freely. This was exceptionally valuable and the engineer gave up his entire day in order for us to learn as much as possible.

National Grid looks after their employees exceptionally well which makes working for them an appealing prospect. On top of this, NG have a Grad Scheme that offers great opportunities to move around the business and expand on knowledge gained at university.

There were around 14 placement students working in the Warwick offices and we met up regularly to watch films and go for drinks which made the placement more enjoyable,

The rent in Leamington Spa is quite expensive which is a downside, but socialising costs were not that high as many of us lived in this small town so travel cost nothing and bars and houses were in walking distance/

There was a club that the placement students favored, Altoria, and we went to that several times.

National Grid takes part in many fundraising activities for charities, but unfortunately all these events are in September after I have left.