What we did on our dream placement
Joe applied for dream placement with the aim of furthering his understanding of the world of work. He hoped that following the week of work experience, he would better understand what it is like to be an engineer, some examples of their daily challenges and gauge if a career in engineering is something he would like to pursue.
During the week of work experience Joe was given the opportunity to talk to multiple engineers on a more informal level, a chance to feel like one of the team. Joe took on the role of an engineer, performing the sort of tasks that he would be expected to carry out, allowing him to receive a good insight into the life of a ‘Wood’ employee and make a more educated decision as to whether such a role is one he would thrive in and enjoy, a decision made much easier following the support and development from the Wood employees. Joe happened to really enjoy the tasks set by his host company as they were mathematically challenging, as well as being practical. He was also able to find out more about higher apprenticeships, following discussions with a young engineer called Max.
From the trip to the Birchwood head office, Joe was able to comprehend the scale of the company, with more than 400 offices, in over 60 countries. Joe found this fascinating as being from Cumbria, he had only really looked into the Sellafield side of engineering. However, from his week on dream placement, Joe would now consider a career with the likes of Wood Plc. as there is a huge amount of potential, and could even lead to jobs working abroad, which is something Joe had looked into in the past and would like to do in any career he goes into.
Overall, Joe found dream placement to be an enriching experience, and one he will appreciate and remember throughout his life. He believes that dream placement could has greatly influenced his opinion on a future career choice and educated him on the array of opportunities available to young people in the area.
At the beginning of the week, Joes focus was on physiotherapy but now hopes to go to university or gain a higher apprenticeship following the completion of his A Levels. Joe currently plans to gain a master’s degree in engineering, which could set him up for a promising career within the industry.