Going on placement and into graduate roles video transcript

Joe: A lot of the skills I've learnt in uni, I've had to apply while I was on placement. I think my main reason for picking Civil Engineering is I've always had an inspiration for engineering. I've always enjoyed practical work. I've always been quite creative. I focussed on the modules, what they set out and it was appealing.

Cally: I wanted a course that was very practical based. So we have a lot of site surveying in our course, but also Auto CAD applications. So you get to learn exactly what you'll be using in the industry.

Jacob: My main reasons for choosing the course at Derby was at the time, the stats on UCAS were some of the best in the country for student satisfaction and employability after graduation.

Joe: So my placement was with Dorset Council. I was part of the Bridges and Structures team and my job title was a Trainee Civil Engineer.

Cally: My placement was with Graham and my job title was Placement Site Engineer.

Jacob: My current workplace role is with Via East Midlands. My job title is a Highway Improvements Coordinator.

Joe: I wanted something unique. I wanted something different. I wanted to go out my comfort zone. I think it helped develop me as a person, boosted my confidence. When I first turned up, you know, being in a part of the country I've never been before, meeting new people - it's quite nerve-wracking. I didn't know what to expect. And then when I did actually meet, end up meeting everyone, they was really nice, welcoming. I was meeting new people externally - clients, site agents. There was a lot of responsibility,
I think I'd say for a student, but it kind of helped me learn. Give me a bit of confidence to, you know, be efficient with my work.

Cally: I found switching from being a student to working for company, quite different. I'd never worked full time before, but again, I don't get thrown in the deep end. So I was able to transition, and I ended up really, really enjoying going to work. During my placement, I definitely developed a lot of confidence. When I got there, I was very shy. And by the end, I was I was quite happy to go around, speak to people I’d never spoken to before, cause you know, you build up the responsibility at the end - you can really look back and, you know, see how much you have done.

Jacob: The people at the company are really helpful. They take it step by step with you and they get you really into the swing of things quite quickly actually. The things I was trusted to do at my role at Via was consult with councillors and local community people, go on site visits with a contract agent, design
and put out that design to the council. 

Joe: I was tasked with designing a bridge from scratch which has collapsed, due to really bad weather. So, I was tasked with completing all the CDM health and safety checks, surveying, designing, supplying - the whole project. It took quite a few months, but in the end to see what I’d designed, it was so satisfying to see. People walking over it and people happy, the local residents happy as well with the final design.  It was really nice.

Jacob: I've learnt a whole variety of things. My time management has gotten better. My CAD skills have greatly improved. Working in a team has greatly improved. Yeah just meeting deadlines as well it’s really helped working for a company. I got a job with the company I'm working for and they're going to pay for my final year. And I'll work part time, so I'll be learning even more new skills from a different team while still learning the fundamentals at uni.

Joe: My future career - I’d like to work in water. I think being able to work and experience it in industry and also within uni with the facilities that we've got. I think that interest has stayed the exact same. I think with me knowing what it's like in industry, you go in a little bit more confident, less nervous. So you know what to expect.

Cally: So I'm going to go back to the same company, they’ve offered me a graduate role. So when you leave placement, you're behaving like a graduate engineer would. So being able to then rejoin as a graduate and already being at that level, versus being at placement level when I'm actually a graduate, it's yeah, a better feeling for sure. Yeah, I really enjoy it. So hopefully keep doing that and then maybe work abroad in the future as well.

Jacob: My future career plans are to hopefully stay with the company I'm working with at the moment,
and at some point go into the Army and get chartered through the Army and do my masters through there.

Cally: I would recommend other people do a placement, because I don't personally think you can get
that experience in a classroom. I feel like I've been able to apply the knowledge that I've learnt, to my modules. I'm more confident in my assignments, talking about things that I've seen in real life versus, you know, theoretically talking about them. So, yeah.

Joe: I'd recommend it to everyone if they want to do it and they should do it. It's a unique experience. It's a one time opportunity. It benefits your CV. It's what employees are looking for. They're expecting experience now, and it's hard to go into a job without any experience while competing with everyone else around you with the same degree, and I think it's massively improved the overall quality of my work as well, which is why I think it was really beneficial for me to go on placement.

Going on placement and into graduate roles video

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