Work placement student — Holly Arrowsmith

Holly is studying a four-year MEng Biomedical Engineering at the University of Sheffield. She tells us more about her year-long work placement (otherwise known as a year in industry)

Where did you complete your work placement?

I did my year in industry at Abbott Diabetes Care, a global leader in diabetes care that develops innovative products to make glucose testing easier and more accurate.

Why did you decide to do a work placement?

As I started my third year I really looked into what I could get out of a placement year and decided to go for it.

I thought that getting exposure to industry before I graduated would be useful in helping me to decide what I wanted to do post-graduation, as well as help me from an employment perspective.

How did you arrange your placement and what support did you receive with this?

I arranged my placement by applying to opportunities I found through the University of Sheffield's careers portal, LinkedIn, and other job sites.

One of the most helpful resources was the weekly email from my university's careers service with newly advertised year in industry roles. It meant that even when university work was intense, I could keep applying without constantly searching for placements myself.

My university's Engineering Placement Team offered one-on-one meetings to go through my CV and cover letters, answered all my questions and really invested in helping me succeed. Their support made the whole process feel a lot less daunting.

Tell us a bit about your work placement and what it involved.

I was a project engineer, so my team was one of three within the Operations Engineering Department.

My team's primary responsibility was validating equipment and processes. This meant that we had to test every procedure and machine to make sure it was operating exactly as needed so that the optimal product could be manufactured.

I was involved from day one, having design meetings with external contractors who make the equipment, which was very interesting. We were a busy team and there was always something going on to get involved with. 

The placement lasted 12 months, and I worked in the office full time, Monday to Friday. My team was really flexible and if something came up, I was able to work from home as needed, but I actually enjoyed going in every day. Just being in the office meant I could overhear what other people were working on and get involved in a range of projects simply by showing interest and asking questions. 

There weren't any formal assessments set by the company, but I did complete a lot of training - from general health and safety to learning how to write the technical documentation we used daily. I also had to complete a reflective report and presentation as part of the university's placement year module, which gave me the chance to step back and reflect on everything I'd learnt throughout the year.

What was the highlight of your work placement?

As well as my role in the projects team, I was encouraged to seek out any other work that interested me, so I ended up getting heavily involved in machine vision, which I loved.

Machine vision, in a nutshell, is the setup of cameras and software at every stage of manufacturing that inspects and subsequently passes or fails products if defects are found. It was completely new to me, but I found it really interesting.

In my work with machine vision, I helped run a month-long trial, making important changes to vision programs and adjusting things as needed along the way. There were a lot of unknowns and while it felt a bit overwhelming with so much responsibility and different teams counting on it, everything turned out well in the end. I'm really proud of the work I did on my own and it gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to navigate stressful situations and get the job done.

What were the challenges?

The biggest challenge was being a project manager for a team of people who had been at the company longer than I'd been alive. It was tough to lead when I knew everyone had more experience than me, and finding the right balance between asking for help and trusting my own judgement wasn't easy. I sometimes felt awkward giving direction, but I realised the project had to get done, and the only way was for me to come up with a plan and get everyone on board.

What new skills or knowledge did you gain during your work placement?

The placement gave me so much insight into what roles actually exist in industry, as well as how important it is to seek out work that interests you.

I also learnt how to manage real-world engineering projects, communicate with people from different disciplines, and make decisions under pressure, all of which will be invaluable when I look for a job. 

One of the biggest things I learnt was how to tackle unfamiliar problems. I was often given a project and had no idea where to start, so learning how to break things down and figure out a plan was incredibly useful. Communication was also key, especially on projects with lots of stakeholders where I had to keep people updated, while still keeping on top of the actual work.

And finally, seeing how much detail and rigour go into every aspect of a regulated industry like medical devices was really eye-opening - there's so much going on behind the scenes that you never think about as a student.

Did the experience influence your future career plans?

Absolutely. It gave me a much clearer picture of what working in medical device engineering actually looks like.

Before my placement, I thought I might want to go into research, and the experience confirmed that - but it also helped me realise that what I'm really drawn to is research and development (R&D) within industry, where you're actively involved in turning ideas into real products. It opened my eyes to just how many stages are involved in taking a concept all the way to market, and how much time, planning, and cross-functional collaboration that process really takes. 

I was also exposed to so many different types of engineers and roles I'd never come across before, which broadened my understanding of the industry as a whole. The placement gave me the chance to explore different areas of the industry, and going back into it now, I have a far clearer idea of what direction I want to take my career in.

My plans are to apply for graduate schemes centred around early-stage design of medical devices. I'd like to see more of the R&D side now that I've had exposure to the operations side and use all my experience and skills gained from placement to get there.

What do you wish you'd known before embarking on a work placement?

I wish I'd known that it's completely normal to feel out of your depth at the beginning, especially during those first three months when everything can feel overwhelming and like you have no idea what's going on.

No one expects you to know everything straight away; what really matters is that you're genuinely trying and putting in the effort. Most people are more than happy to help when they see you're eager to learn. 

I also wish I'd known just how much responsibility you can be given as a placement student. It can feel daunting to be given real ownership of projects, especially early on. But having a supportive team around you makes all the difference. To get the most out of your placement keep pushing yourself to learn new things every day. That drive to constantly grow is exactly what makes the experience so valuable.

What advice would you give to others preparing for a work placement?

Do it. You learn so much about being a young professional and when applying, it's important not to undersell yourself - let the company decide if you're not the right fit for a placement, don't do it yourself.

My advice for anyone actually on placement is don't panic about not knowing anything; you will learn. Also, get involved with everything your placement has to offer, like sports teams or societies, as they're a great way of getting to know people you might not otherwise meet.

Find out more

• Learn more about work placements.
• Read up on other work experience options.