Engineering Placement Student Review

Project planning which involves organising contractors, planning in time, aligning with colleagues, receiving in quotes and updating the team on my progress all whilst sticking to PepsiCo standards. The mornings are usually full of daily meetings with different departments, due to COVID these have all moved to online, then after that the time is yours. Whether you're catching up on email correspondence or getting contractors in to fix/replace a section of the factory.

I was given a lot of responsibility whilst I was on placement. At first you will heavily reply on your colleagues to aid you in developing the right skills to do your job well but you are expected to go away and try these skills on your own. I am responsible for getting contractors onto site and showing them the area of work that needs to be done. I am responsible for making sure that when work is being done that my contractors are happy and doing the work that they are supposed to be doing.

My people skills have definitely improved, I was already quite confident when speaking to individuals but now I can present to teams of people with ease and in a professional manner. Time management is also a skill that I have developed, I've learnt to utilise tools to organise my time and files effectively. A big thing I learnt is that we are all part of a team and colleagues will not be affronted if you tell them that you can't do a certain time because you're busy and you will have to re-schedule. Your time is your own.

I have two weekly meetings with my line manager; one to talk about my project and how they are coming on a what the next steps are and one to talk about my progress and well-being. Both meetings are vital to my steep progress improvement and have helped my settle into my working role quickly and with a smile on my face. Colleagues in other departments are also so welcoming and happy to help you with any questions you have. Lincoln is a small site so we all know each other and have a very good working relationship.

From the start I was welcomed into the company. Lincoln has a very friendly vibe. It may be due to the size of the factory but everyone is happy to help when they can, if not immediately then they will set a time when they can. The company culture is incredibly helpful, I have been contacted by multiple people at different sites who are happy to help me network and learn about what it's like to be an Engineer at PepsiCo.

I am really enjoying my placement! It is a big shock to go from University to a working environment and PepsiCo made it easier. This year they have introduced a competition aspect between the placement students so I have gotten to know placement students on other sites quite well. I am already a better Engineer from doing my placement her and it's only been 3 months! I would definitely recommend applying to this program.

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