“As I came to the end of my placement and saw the new students beginning theirs, I found myself looking back at what I had been a part of and what I had achieved.

"My placement was based with a leading supplier of sprayers within the agricultural industry; prior to my placement I had never been associated with sprayers before let alone work with them. However my interest in the company wasn’t 100% dedicated to the product it was the chance to gain experience within the engineering industry with a company that offers a unique placement opportunity that many others don’t, that being the chance to work my way through the company within different departments.

From production to design, product support to sales I experienced it all. I was given the chance to work with the machines to give me an understanding of how they operate and how they are manufactured. I was able to put my engineering knowledge to the test during my time in the design department whilst gaining new ones. I travelled the UK assisting with fixing machines with product support and attended agricultural shows representing the company whilst in the sales department.

Not only have my practical skills and engineering capabilities been increased tenfold with my time on placement but I feel I have grown as a person too, I feel more confident in myself as a beginner engineer as well as more professional and mature.

It’s strange how placement can affect you and changes you as a person. I began as a quiet, nervous student unaware of the year that followed. I am confident when I say I left with an arsenal of new useable skills that will benefit me within my final year and engineering future, confidence in myself and capabilities, and no longer fear being out of my comfort zone.

I am very grateful I had the chance to attend a work placement, and I have been fortunate to have been offered a post graduate position with the company, as a design engineer!”

Alex Gadsby 

Alex successfully graduated from Sheffield Hallam with First Class Honours, and re-joined Househam in July 2016 as a full-time Production Design Engineer. He has proven to be a valuable asset to the company and we are pleased to have him as part of the team. 

I joined the company in 2012 as a Graduate Trainee, coming straight from completing a Business Studies degree at the University of Lincoln.

On the Graduate Development Programme I got the opportunity to move around the company undertaking projects in different departments such as, Operations, IT, HR, Field Services and Development. Throughout this process I realised the elements of a role that did and didn’t appeal to me, which led me to being an NPD Co-ordinator, managing the Waitrose and Booker fresh accounts as well as assisting with others.

Due to the NPD Manager leaving a few months later I stepped up and managed all of the customer accounts from an NPD point of view as well as trying to gain a larger share of these accounts and gain new ones, a tricky but steep learning curve. This experience has really helped as we’ve grown the team, and in May 2016 I was promoted to Senior NPD Manager. As well as focusing on growing our accounts for both the Fresh and Prepared businesses I’m also involved in longer term pipeline development and process improvement to support our overall business growth strategy.

I started at Branston in May 2016, working part-time whilst studying for a foundation degree in Agricultural Management. I’m from a farming background, where everyone helps everyone else out and works together as a team, so I was really pleased to find a workplace that’s like that too. From being a summer temp, I moved on to providing maternity cover for one of our agronomists. Now I’m also involved in procurement and grower payments. Branston has been really flexible with me. So during term time I work three days a week, then through the holidays I work full-time.

We work very closely together in the Agronomy team to make sure that all our growers are looked after. That’s what I really like about Branston – the teamwork. Everyone always helps each other out. So no matter what anyone else is doing or how busy they are if you’ve got a problem they’ll happily help you out. From coming in, knowing next to nothing, the support I’ve had from everyone has been amazing. It makes it all so much easier. I’m involved in all aspects of our local growers’ crops – from planting, right through to when they’re packed in the factory. I really enjoy going out in the fields, especially on a lovely summer’s day! I’ve also been involved on the trading side and I get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing the whole process from end to end. 

There’s always something to learn in a business like this. Lots of my friends work in jobs that are quite unrelated to their uni courses and it’s all just about making ends meet, but for me there are lots of elements of work that I can relate to my course and vice versa. It’s a balance, and sometimes it can be a bit stressful and challenging, but overall I really love my job. I think it also helps me to add a level of professionalism to my assignments. I’m hoping to apply for the Graduate Development Programme next. Branston has given me lots of really great opportunities and I’d love to carry on working here once I finish my degree.

Age: 23
Position at British Steel: Technical Engineer - Environmental Department
Course: MEng Chemical Engineering with Energy
University: The University of Sheffield 

What attracted you to British Steel? 

There were two main reasons, one of them was the opportunity to be part of one of the leading experts in long steel products across the UK and France. British Steel furthermore offers excellent graduate opportunities such as the four rotations of six months each across various technical disciplines, which will allow me to enhance my knowledge and skills. Secondly, the company provides guidance towards becoming a Chartered Chemical Engineer, which is one of my aims.

What duties does your new role include? 

I am currently working on a pilot plant for the biological treatment of coke oven effluents and am also part of the commissioning team for the treatment of blast furnace effluents. Since these projects are pilot plant-based, it depends on how these pilot processes perform as the results will determine if these processes can be scaled up. Our main aim is to reduce the ammonia nitrogen concentration and the suspended solids at the output of the process in order to comply with the limits set by the Environmental Agency.

How did your degree prepare you for your new position? 

From my university course I learnt the basics of chemical engineering and learnt about several processes and their operation in greater depth. Furthermore from the design project and research project as part of the course I enhanced my team working, problem solving, analytical and researching capabilities, which have all been very beneficial.

What are your new colleagues like? 

My colleagues have been really good as they are always very supportive and easily approachable to resolve any questions or queries. They are happy to take us around the site, teach us more about their job roles and the projects they are working on, which is a great opportunity to learn more.

What advice do you have for anyone thinking of joining? 

I would advise taking part in various projects, jobs and any extra-curricular activities to increase your communication, team working and problem solving skills as they will be beneficial for any job you have as part of the company. Also if you have any queries always ask.

 “Safelincs is a company that offers new challenges every day, invests in training and reflects my own personal ambition and goals”

Following the completion of my degree in Business Studies in Nottingham and a year travelling Asia and Australia, I started my career with Safelincs as a Product Administrator, sourcing new products and services for our retail sites. Within a year I had progressed to Product Manager, hiring a new Product Administrator to assist me. As the company grew we took on a second Product Administrator to aid me with the ever evolving and rapidly growing portfolio of goods and services we offer.

In the summer of 2012 we decided to attempt pro-active selling and I began a part-time split role visiting customers face-to-face and attending events to represent Safelincs. 3 years on and my role is divided between leading the Product Department and heading up the Business Development Department continuing to be actively involved with both supplier and customer relations.

‘Talking to our customers means we find the best solutions for them by taking into account their specific needs.’

Age: 22
Position at British Steel: Graduate Mechanical Engineer 
Course: B.Eng Mechanical Engineering
University: University of Sheffield

What appealed to you about British Steel?

Whilst skimming through various graduate schemes, British Steel’s graduate scheme really stood out to me because it provided a structured two year training scheme with rotations across different engineering departments, providing an in-depth comprehensive training into the world of steel-making. In addition, being an international student studying here in the UK, British Steel’s graduate scheme also stood out to me because of the fact that they sponsor international students for a Tier 2 work visa.

What duties does your new role include? 

As part of the two-year graduate scheme, there are four six-month rotations across different engineering departments.

I am currently on a six-month placement in Caster 4, which is one of the continuous casters producing steel blooms. As part of this, I am currently involved in the maintenance of the caster, where I shadow colleagues on different maintenance tasks which may be either planned, or caused by a sudden breakdown. I have also been given a maintenance project to work towards during my six months over here.

How did your degree prepare you for your new position? 

I believe the degree you study at university really helps you bring some solid skills on the table. Learning in a classroom is one thing, but actually seeing the theory being applied in practical industrial applications makes you understand things in a whole new perspective. My dissertation provided me with a chance to work towards a structured objective, conducting experiments and working towards tight deadlines to ensure a timely completion. Presenting my work towards a panel of assessors instilled a sense of confidence towards my work, which will help me present the work I carried out as part of my placement to senior engineers here at British Steel.

None of the work given to you here is just thrown at you – there is prior training and courses to attend to help aid your understanding before you can crack on with the work.

What are your new colleagues like? 

The working environment over here is absolutely great for young engineers like myself. My colleagues are always ready to help and always willing to assist with any questions that I may have. I have been stuck plenty of times trying to learn new things about the casting process and machinery and have always gone to someone for help with absolutely no hesitation at all. All my colleagues are very welcoming and I have settled in well with the team here at Caster 4 in absolutely no time!

Do you have any advice for graduates applying for British Steel? 

Apply early on to beat the competition and really focus on your application, providing evidence of skills you can bring to the company which can set you apart from the rest of the candidates. These skills may be coming from either your academic qualities or from your extra-curricular activities, whatever they may be. Remember to structure your answer well and really hone it to the core competencies required for the role, whilst also aligning your answer to the core values of the company.