Caitlin Archibald

Placement Project Engineer

  • Degree + University: MEng Chemical Engineering with Year in Industry
  • Placement role/title: Placement Project Engineer
  • Placement dates: Sept 2024 – Sept 2025

My placement year at Ecolutia Services provided me with a range of engineering responsibilities which allowed me to gain a real insight into the true role of a project engineer in the water treatment industry.

What I worked on

  • Design of a range of company units: 3D CAD design (SolidWorks) to create assemblies. Learnt new tools such as routing and weldments.
  • Introduced to Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs): developed skills to read, understand and draw them.
  • Project management: Created 3D model including piping routes following a P&ID, ran weekly progress meetings, drew construction procedure, procurement of items, logistics (shipping, delivery etc.), management of construction, problem-solving.
  • Involved in the recruitment process of future placement students: Read through CVs, created interview questions, sat in the interviews, used Kepner Tregoe method for marking.

Sills gained:

  • 3D CAD (SolidWorks)
  • BOMs
  • P&IDs
  • Procurement
  • Project delivery.

Mentoring and support:

Support is offered from everywhere at Ecolutia. There was constant support from within the engineering team and there is an environment where you can feel comfortable to ask for anything you need. This allowed me to grow as an engineer and perform to my best potential.  

There is also the opportunity to speak with members of other departments, and this provides the opportunity to gain perspective and knowledge in areas you may know less about. This supported me further in my professional development.

The outcome:

I delivered the physical design of the plant’s wastewater treatment area including consideration of the ergonomics, and kick started the construction of the area. Various deliverables were met and it was great to see the area begin to be built and come together.

Who should apply:

Someone who has an eagerness to learn as much as they can and who has an interest in the water treatment industry would thrive in this role. You need to be able to work under pressure and manage your time well, and while you are given a considerable amount of responsibility for a student, it should be taken as a great opportunity for you to develop as an engineer.

Closing recommendation:

I wholeheartedly recommend working for Ecolutia to any student looking for real-world engineering experience and the chance to take true ownership of their work.

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