Goodbye to our Summer Placement, Lila!

Thinking of doing a summer placement with us? Read on to hear Lila’s experience at Atlas compared to previous placement in a larger company.

“Having completed my second year at Durham University studying Human Geography, I started out this summer with no previous experience in Planning. I joined Atlas Planning Group for 4 weeks in August, following a month’s experience with another planning team in London.

As part of second year, I completed a module in Urban Geography of which touched on the urban planning ideal of a 15-minute city. Taking this idea further I researched this concept as an idea for a dissertation which led to the discovery into town planning as a career. Having worked in a large private sector company, based in London, for a month, I wanted to experience a smaller company working on different projects of which Atlas Planning Group does.

Having a reasonably limited knowledge in the planning world, as part of the placement I was given a mentor. This made it so easy to ask any questions, even if they seemed ridiculous at the time. Across the four weeks at Atlas, I have completed research tasks, covering letters, site appraisals and feasibility and planning statements, all of which have given me a huge insight into the planning application process.

I particularly enjoyed my time at Atlas due to the days being so varied. I was often taken out on site visits, all of which were totally different projects, and was able to see prior research I’d completed being placed in context. As well as this, the team were extremely welcoming, creating such a lovely atmosphere to work within. It goes without saying that I would highly recommend a work placement at Atlas Planning, even if you aren’t sure it is for you, it’s so valuable to try something new out.

Working at Atlas has not only given me more confidence in the planning sector but also has confirmed that its an area I’d be interested in pursuing a career in, which I hope to do following my last year at university.”

Lila's capacity to seamlessly integrate into our team in a relatively brief timeframe has truly impressed us. She consistently accomplished tasks to a high standard. Despite her initial limited knowledge, she has demonstrated remarkable growth, largely attributed to her effective collaboration with her mentor and her rapid learning ability. We wish Lila all the best in completing her studies this year.