Design Placement Student Review

I started with more of a CAD support role and worked on different models each week. I would receive a list of changes that need to be made and return the model when completed.
Mid way through the placement i gained ownership of my own part and spent most of my day speaking to suppliers, creating the CAD, creating presentation material and attending design meetings.

I was given alot of responsibility when I recieved ownership of a part. I was not having my work checked frequently and was trusted to work on the models unsupervised.
I had the opportunity to make decisions in how the part looked, was assembled and serviced.
After sitting in a few meetings I also had the opportunity to speak to suppliers directly to sort any issues.

Engineering wise I have had significant development in my computer aided design, finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, dimensional variation analysis and CAD data management skills.
I had the opportunity to learn a new CAD software entirely as well as learn surface modelling.
I also had the opportunity to develop my presentational skills. This includes my preparation, confidence and complication speed.

Managers tend to be good, all the ones I had quickly responded to any questions I had and were encouraging.
There is also a mentor scheme were you meet with someone once a month outside of your department to discuss any issues you may be having.

Due to COVID there were not many company wide activities but this is starting to change since July 2022.
The company is wide range of great people working there and has many charitable opportunities for you to take part in.

I struggled when I moved to Darlington as I could not meet any other placement students because of COVID.
When I moved to working online permanently and returned home I really enjoyed the experience. It was challenging, rewarding and I'm leaving knowing alot more about engineering than I started with.

Yes