"I have thoroughly enjoyed and cherished my time with Caterpillar, I have learned many new skills and recognised many hidden abilities and talents within myself."
Dearbhla Laverty, an Aerospace Engineering student at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, was unsure of taking a placement year due to her seniority in comparison to the rest of her classmates; however, after her summer internship with Caterpillar, she felt prepared for her year out. “As my first two years at University concluded, I realised the importance of a year in the industry and how much it would benefit me when I graduated,” said Dearbhla.
“When I first arrived at Caterpillar I was extremely nervous but also excited about starting my first year in the working world. I was welcomed by two members of the HR team where I was directed into a relaxed environment with other new starts, from different departments and here I did not find it difficult to feel at ease.”
In her first week, Dearbhla was given the option to choose her working hours as a part of the Master Data Support team based in Larne in Northern Ireland. “I was welcomed warmly by everyone in my team and had no problems with asking for help with my day-to-day tasks.”
Dearbhla said she was lucky to be part of different projects during her time at Caterpillar, but her main project was one that developed a huge change in the business through Product Structure Management (PSM SAP).
“I was thrown in at the deep end and asked to create a training document for this new software and presented it in a training week with engineers from America. This new software will be used across the Caterpillar globally and will benefit the company greatly.”
Dearbhla also said she was fortunate enough to work in different departments throughout the year such as: Purchasing and Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Product Validation Services. It was here that she could apply already gained knowledge and develop and achieve new skills; such as communication, self-management and being able to control her time effectively. She also gained a huge amount of appreciation on how the business works and how the product grows from birth to after-market.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed and cherished my time with Caterpillar, I have learned many new skills and recognised many hidden abilities and talents within myself that I would not have seen without my placement year,” said Dearbhla.
At Caterpillar, we respect the unique talents, experiences and viewpoints of all of our employees. If you’re a risk-taking, big-thinking digital innovator, now is your time at Caterpillar.
