Summer Scheme Student Review

Once a week would be a morning meeting on what everyone has got on for the week, progress on current work as well as the goals and objectives. Once the day begins (if you don't already have work to do) your line manger will give you work to do or a specific member of the team will request your help on a project they're working on but you can also request work if you get your tasks done early.
There may also be tasks you have that take you out the office such as a site visit, a trip to a local authorities town hall or a charity event to help the local community which was good for keeping the range of work varied and helps learn a wide range of information in a small amount of time.

There was a big benefit to seeing how the different departments interact and just seeing how a big company such as this one functions on a day to day basis which really helped paint a picture of the industry as a whole as opposed to only getting planning specific knowledge
Also learning about the different roles available was good for seeing where you could take your career first hand and see what you may find interesting and matches with your skill set

Two of the main skills that have improved during my time here was research and also how to communicate, particularly communication by way of making reports.
Research has been a big factor for being able to get as much information of a site as possible but also learning how to filter out what might be relevant or not.
Secondly, was report writing and learning how important it is to clearly communicate the key information so it can be read at a glace but also having more in-depth information available incase the reader choose to delve further into a certain topic

The company is very keen to ensure a positive culture where all members feel like they are part of the wider company. This is done with methods such as a big office lunch where you have a change to meet all sorts of people who do different jobs. As part of the placement you meet directors or staff from the different teams at the company where they teach you about what they do but are also really welcoming to you picking their brain and giving advice.

I honestly really enjoyed my time here, actually feeling part of the team such as being asked for my thoughts in meetings and being given work to do on real projects which allow you to learn first hand some valuable lessons about the industry. But also things outside of work such as going for a drink with some of the team, charity events to help the local community and the friendly nature of the staff helped make it a really valuable experience

Yes