Mechanical Engineering Industrial Placement Review

As a mechanical engineer, my main roles on site have been focused in the maintenance and reliability department. I spent 2 months on site working with the mechanical fitters, and then moved into the engineering office for the remainder of my placement to work on projects. This includes projects such as critical spares and upgrading equipment. On a day to day basis, my role has been very varied, taking on a range of projects that also fell outside the maintenance and reliability department.

During my placement, I was given a lot of responsibility. I led multiple small projects on site, and played a key role in some larger projects. I was not shy to seek help when I needed it. However, I could not make any changes myself. Due to the high hazard potential of the site, all changes and projects go through the management of change (MOC) process. This ensures that the change is approved by the appropriate people. Therefore, it was nice to have the responsibility to own projects, but it was also reassuring to have my work thoroughly checked before implementation.

I do feel like there is a big gap between what I have learned at university to working on site as a mechanical engineer. The 2 months spent with the fitters gave me some really good practical exposure on a high hazard plant. In the office, I have learned some key maintenance and reliability tasks and improved my project skills. I have also completed 4 presentations during my placement, which has greatly helped my presentation skills. In addition, I feel that working on placement has benefitted my communication skills, work management and I feel more confident.

I feel like I received a good amount of support and guidance during my placement. At the start of the year, I set myself some performance goals. I then met with my manager on a regular basis to review my progress against these performance goals alongside any other work. In addition, I feel like everyone else on site was happy to help and support me in my work when I needed it.

I really liked the company culture and atmosphere. Everybody was really nice on a professional and personal level, you feel like a member of the team. With the recent Cargill takeover on site, the Cargill culture really seems to have embedded itself into the atmosphere, and everyone is very positive about that. Socially, there are also events outside of work, whether it be 5 a side football or a works night out.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement. I feel like I have gained some very valuable industry experience that I believe will help me in the rest of my degree. Working on a bioindustrial site has been very interesting, and is something I hope to do after completing my degree. I would be happy to return to Cargill after my degree, and will miss my placement once it finishes.

Yes