Life at JLR blog
Hardware and Mechatronics undergrad Katie feels incredibly lucky to be working on such an exciting project.
Katie joined JLR in July as an Undergrad and appreciates the fact she has been given a good amount of responsibility even after only a few months.
Q: What programme are you on and what are you studying at University?
I am on the PE Hardware and Mechatronics Undergraduate programme and am at Newcastle University studying mechanical engineering.
Q: How have you found your first few months with JLR?
My first few months at JLR have been great. I am working in the body chassis engineering quality team in DC7 supporting the prototype build of the new Jaguar product. I feel incredibly lucky to have been placed in a team who are involved in such an exciting project and appreciate the fact I have been given a good amount of responsibility even after only a few months. I am also really looking forward to joining multiple different teams this year. My first internal placement is with the PVT team at Solihull, and I can’t wait to get started and learn new things.
Q: Tell us about the Early Careers community / social element.
The early careers community at JLR is really good to be apart of. There are always different socials and events to be involved in with the Young Professionals Network. I am personally looking forward to being in the new Driven team that has been set up this year at Whitley and also keep up to date with the WIE&A network. I have also been enjoying visiting different universities to discuss what being on a placement at JLR is like. I was recently on a panel at the University of Liverpool and will be up at my university in Newcastle soon at their graduate and placement careers fair.
Q: What is something you want to achieve in your placement year?
Before starting this year, I had no particular goal in mind. The main thing for me was just to be able to get as much experience as possible across as much of the business as I can to allow me to maximise my learning during the short space of time that I am here. I was also conscious that I wanted to improve on a few things that I have previously struggled with such as having confidence to speak with new people in new environments or giving presentations to large groups of people.
Q: What is your top tip for people applying to an Undergraduate placement at JLR?
Make sure you do your research about the company and the pathway you are applying to and think about a few examples of times you have aligned with the values of JLR. Be yourself and if you don’t have all of the technical experience, don’t worry about it and focus on the soft skills that you do have. Also consider what you will be bringing to the business as this is the question I personally struggled with the most.