Welcome our 2025 Placement & Graduate Engineers
Every year we are lucky enough to be able to welcome some fantastic Graduate Engineers, Placement Engineers and UX Designers from the local universities. When our Placement and Graduate Engineers join Aflac, they don’t just sit on the outside looking in, they become embedded in Our Brood and do important work with a fresh perspective – so much so, it becomes difficult to say goodbye!
Let’s shine the spotlight on this year’s group and get to know Luis, Roosevelt, Kayley, Patrick and Jeff. Welcome (and welcome back) we can’t wait to watch you make your mark on Aflac.
Luis Ras – Graduate Engineer, Web & Mobile
As returning placement students, did your placement year at Aflac help your final year of your degree?
The placement year at Aflac significantly enhanced both my personal and technical capabilities in ways that directly benefited my final year studies.
On the personal development side, I gained invaluable experience in critical thinking and problem-solving within real-world contexts, which helped me approach academic projects with a more analytical mindset. Working in a professional team environment improved my teamwork and communication skills. I’ve learned how to articulate technical concepts clearly, collaborate effectively with colleagues, and navigate team dynamics. Additionally, presenting at sprint reviews pushed me out of my comfort zone and developed my public speaking and presentation skills, which proved essential for my final year dissertation defence and group project presentations.
From a technical perspective, the hands-on experience was helpful. I became proficient with industry-standard tools and technologies like GitHub, Angular for front-end development, Java for backend systems, and Tailwind CSS for styling all of which gave me a significant advantage when tackling university assignments and my final year project. This improved my overall coding skills to pair up and work with experienced engineers allowed me to learn not only to deepen my coding skills but also allow me to learn how to write clean and reusable code that allowed my experience that I gained during my placement year in Aflac my final year coursework and assignments feel much more relevant and manageable.
What was the biggest reward from your placement?
The most rewarding aspect was seeing the direct impact of my work on real users through the myAflac application. Contributing to new components and features that thousands of people rely on daily gave me an incredible sense of accomplishment and purpose. It was fulfilling to know that my code wasn't just an academic exercise but actually improved people's experience with the myAflac application.
Beyond the technical contributions, the personal growth was equally rewarding. Presenting at sprint reviews, while initially nerve-wracking, became a highlight of my placement. Each presentation built my confidence, and by the end of the year, what once felt intimidating became an opportunity to showcase my work and share insights with the team. This transformation from a nervous student to a confident contributor who could hold their own in professional settings was perhaps the most valuable reward as it fundamentally changed how I view my capabilities as an engineer.
Roosevelt Jr Onate Enriquez – Graduate Engineer, Web & Mobile
What would you say to other students thinking about doing a Placement year in Software Engineering?
I would highly recommend doing a placement year, not only will it benefit your skills and knowledge in the field but gives you an insight into the industry to see whether this is something you want to do as a career or take a different path.
What are you most looking forward to doing now you've returned as a fully-fledged Engineer?
Getting more involved within Agent Hub, working alongside different teams and people to further my learning and development as a software engineer.
Kayley Sherrin – Placement UX Designer.
What would you say to other students thinking about doing a Placement year?
As a UX designer, I think having a placement year makes all the difference. Working in a team where you can be a part of the process, all the way from research up to the implementation of a design into a functional app, makes a world of difference. So far I have already learnt so much at Aflac, and my confidence has definitely grown. Being able to work alongside software engineers is essential to working in UX/UI in the real world- as there is always going to be someone who has to build your designs.
What’s surprised you the most so far?
What has surprised me the most is how ‘non-corporate’ feeling the work environment is. The phrase “We do serious work, but don’t take ourselves too seriously” really sums it up. The office is welcoming and laid-back, and isn't as intimidating as you may think as an outsider looking in (or up).
Patrick Campbell – Placement Engineer, Web & Mobile
What are you most looking forward to from your year at Aflac?
What I was most looking forward for Aflac was improving my programming skills and gaining experience in applying my skills in a work environment.
What would you say to other students thinking about doing a Placement year in Software Engineering?
My advice for any placement student would be to ask questions during the placement and try to learn from your team.
What’s surprised you the most so far?
What has surprised me the most while working at Aflac is that you get to work on projects straight away.
Jeff John – Placement Engineer, Web & Mobile
What are you most looking forward to from your year at Aflac?
I am looking forward to gaining hands-on experience with projects that Aflac NI are working on and to meeting talented and like-minded individuals that I can learn from.
What would you say to other students thinking about doing a Placement year in Software Engineering?
I would say that students should do a placement in Software Engineering! At Aflac NI, I’ve already gained a lot of experience by contributing to features, communicating effectively with the team, receiving valuable feedback on my work, and getting great support from the team whenever I needed help.