CSPI Placement Student Review
at Cummins
Placement (10 Months+)
Mechanical Engineering
Darlington
Review Submitted: May 2025
Overall Rating
4.6 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
5/5
-
Overview of Role
4.5/5
-
Skills Development
4.5/5
-
Support and Guidance
5/5
-
Company Culture
4/5
-
Overall Experience
5/5
-
Future Career Prospects
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
In VPCR, creating change requests for longer term projects for permanent fixes, working with suppliers and technical experts to deliver an improved final product.
In Product Engineering, working on the plant line in reactive fixes, allowing variant content for non-readily available parts, and applying changes that affect the plant line directly.
In Product Engineering, working on the plant line in reactive fixes, allowing variant content for non-readily available parts, and applying changes that affect the plant line directly.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
Yes, virtually every project would be entirely independently run by me, only involving managers when help was needed. Less responsibility in Product Engineering due to the importance of keeping the plant line running, so projects would be run by managers with my and apprentices' assistance.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
5/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
Soft skills - communication, confidence in presenting material, project responsibility including following up with people when info is required.
Technical skills - root cause analysis with supplied data extracts, Creo, Excel.
Technical skills - root cause analysis with supplied data extracts, Creo, Excel.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
4/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
5/5
Support and Guidance
How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
Support was always readily available, both work related and alternative support i.e. mental health, medical. Work place culture meant most people I could ask would be available to help on projects where required.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
5/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
4/5
Company Culture
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
Cummins has a created a great culture and atmosphere, almost everyone you meet seems helpful and approachable for even smaller tasks.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
5/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
5/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
Personally, I've enjoyed the placement but feel there have been some opportunities for improvement. My position was a bit of an experiment, meaning it was the first to be switching between teams. While this gave me exposure to different environments, I sometimes struggled to adapt as one team was entirely reactive, where one was entirely proactive. I also hoped to be a part of some harder large technical projects, but that didn't happen.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
4/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
4/5
Future Career Prospects
Please rate the future employment prospects at Cummins
5/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Cummins to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to Cummins
Hone skills in Excel, and push your interest in engineering through any topic you've experienced - they will look for examples in project work, external work, or just technical general knowledge - such as knowing the mechanical ins and outs of everyday items. Additionally, sell yourself as much as possible, even on experiences you believe aren't as "impressive" - Cummins may be looking for the exact kind of experience you may see as less important.
