Procurement Intern Review

The internship was structured in a way so that it would enable me to take every possible opportunity to develop as an aspiring procurement professional. Several internal seminars were provided by Unite Students covering every area of the Corporate Structure (Marketing, Commercial Finance, IT, HR, Business Intelligence, Effective Communications etc.), this has made me much more commercially aware, giving me an understanding of how large businesses function and thus enabling me to pinpoint Procurement's importance and position among other departments.

My colleagues in the Procurement team were extremely supportive; I was provided with full support when engaging new areas but I did not feel micromanaged and they encouraged me to contribute in team meetings - allowing me to provide my own insight into situations faced by the department. I was accepted as a full member of the team, provided with a one-to-one session with each team member (in order to learn about their specialist roles within procurement), and was provided with my own project (sustainable procurement) which enabled me to intensely develop several important project management skills.

My line manager went above and beyond to include me within the team structure, he has provided me with useful personal, academic and professional advice. Throughout the internship I felt fully supported by him, he arranged weekly one-to-one's where we set clear and realistic targets. I received constructive feedback throughout the programme and valuable training within several Procurement areas. I was provided with a reference, given various contact details and advised to contact them if there is anything else they can do to support me in my career goals.

I was set a manageable workload, provided with various adhoc work which was interesting and useful (developing my skills with several crucial computer programs). My project (sustainable procurement) was also open ended which enabled me to divert any excess time into research and analysis for the department's overarching targets within this area, allowing me to operate efficiently and productively.

I was given great responsibility (whilst being provided with full support in order to minimize risks), the sustainable procurement credentials of the company were extremely important as the Modern Slavery Act of 2015 came into force during my internship and the sustainability performance of the company was tied to company reputation along with various other important features including the future-proofing of their supply chain.

The project management (including scoping, devising, and time management) skills have enhanced my ability to cope with University deadlines, maximizing the output of my assignments, producing work which is of a professional quality. I am also strongly considering undertaking an MSc in Supply Chain and Logistics, for which I will propose forming a Master's dissertation on the interplay of Operational Research (Decision Mathematics) with Strategic Procurement Applications: this would combine my academic studies with my internship experience.

The office was very large and open-plan. Although I did not get the opportunity to meet the entire staff roster, those that I did interact with were extremely welcoming and helpful. I could definitely see that the company values (we care, we unite, we lead, we deliver...) were prominent among the staff, and that there was a strong sense of company culture.

The Internship was extremely well organized, covering every single aspect that an intern could fathom an internship to cover: 1)Internal training in every aspect of the business 2)An induction programme which facilitated a smooth integration into the company (for the interns) 3)Careers and educational advice (for example advisory on Masters and other postgraduate options and their usefulness within that particular business) 4)One-to-one meetings with all of the (board) directors 5)One-to-one meetings with all of my department specialists 6)A welcoming lunch 7)Icebreakers and other exercises with myself and the other interns 8)A full and impressive project was provided for me to work on 9)Travel across the country to meet high-profile suppliers, enabling me to develop important soft skills necessary for a career in Procurement and Supply Chain Management 10)The internship ended with a presentation (enabling me to develop my presenting skills as well as reflect on the internship and meet many of the Unite staff I had not previously met)

The company invested as fully as was possible and would provide any additional training where requested by myself (for example I asked my Group Manager if I could receive additional training from a member of commercial finance, and he arranged for it to be provided)

I would definitely consider future employment with Unite Students, they are an amazing company, working from the inside I have witness that they genuinely care about all of their stakeholders (Customers, Employees, Investors, as well as the wider community...), the Procurement team allowed me to express my individuality and feel comfortable within the workplace.

Yes, I built a strong rapport with all of my fellow internship colleagues and have remained in contact with them.

Reasonable and diverse

Diverse and engaging

Not Applicable