How did you find out about this placement opportunity?
I found out about this placement opportunity on Gradcracker.
Can you tell us about any help you received from Academic Tutors or the Careers Service when you were applying for placement opportunities?
I received advice on computer-generated and real interviews. Also, I got advice on deciding which placement was best for me.
What are your main responsibilities in your placement role?
My main responsibilities in my placement role are:
- Support, coordination and management of specific daily tasks and longer-term projects
- Support and coordination of problem0solving activities to improve processes and products, seeking innovative ways to solve real problems
- Steering of system improvements to support the production processes
- Analysis of data to understand areas of focus and steering of KPI’s
- Review of production critical systems and processes to identify potential improvements
- Coordination of cross-functional projects, incorporating the skills and experience of others
Are you enjoying your placement? Can you tell us a bit about some of your highlights to date?
Yes, I am enjoying it. Some of my highlights have been completing projects and tasks, being a part of the making of the first Rolls Royce Electric Vehicle the Spectre and being there for the launch of it and being driven around in a Rolls Royce.
What is the most exciting thing you've done on placement so far?
Having rea and coffee in a 2-hour session with the CEO of the company.
Please can you give us an overview of what a typical day on placement has been like for you?
I start in the morning at 7am by doing SAP Orders and Requesting Quotes if needed
At 9am I have a Shell 2 meeting on problem-solving in Surface Finishing or Paint Application.
At 9:30am there will sometimes be an extended problem-solving meeting to target high-priority problems that need to be solved.
Between 10am and lunch, I will usually do the various tasks assigned during meetings. Also during that time, there will also be team production meetings to look at how we are meeting our target volume, alongside quality meetings.
After lunch, I will primarily work on my long-term projects. This could be speaking to different people to better understand or writing up that project. This goes on until 3:30pm which is when I finish for the day.
Has your degree help you to be successful on placement?
My degree has helped me with skills like time management from workload to cope with the different challenges on placement.
It has also helped me gain teamwork skills from the various group projects I did in my course.
The design and manufacturing module has really helped me in my placement. It has helped me better organise projects at work and get a better understanding of the manufacturing world.
Do you think this placement year will benefit your studies when you return next year?
I think it will benefit a range of my skills.
For example, I feel that from working I have improved my organisational skills in terms of doing work in a structured way while also increasing my time management skills.
Also, I think my placement has improved my technical skills of different engineering systems that I can bring back to my studies.
In addition, the placement has improved my IT Skills in Microsoft Office and a variety of programming languages.
Furthermore, I think it has increased my knowledge in the industry which I can apply to projects next year.
Do you feel that your placement will also equip you for life after University?
It has prepared me for life after University in the way of being structured. I feel like I have a structured routine that I use every day that I can use for working in the future. Also, I feel like it has given me critical experience in the workplace which I could apply to various job roles in the future. Lastly, I feel like it has made me more confident to seek new experiences and go out of my comfort zone.
What advice would you give to students thinking about doing a placement year?
I think everyone should do a placement year. The main reason I did a placement year was to experience the industry of my field to see if I actually want to do that in the future. A lot of people blindly do a degree in a field and come to the end of it then don't pursue that subject in the working world. A placement year is like a trial to see if it is right for you. There are so many advantages to it. I have lots of experience now in a manufacturing environment from it that will make me employable in the future. Also, I have lots of connections and links from the industry from it too. In addition, I have made lots of new friends and experienced different things living in different places. Furthermore, I have gained lots of key skills in my industry, so I would very much recommend anyone to do a placement year.
