Administrator Review

I truly ENJOYED and VALUED my time, experience and learning curves at Computacenter. I would urge any student to apply for (Although that sounds extremely biased) purely because the opportunities and development available can be career changing.

Before joining a placement I wanted to join a company that had potential offers available for a long term basis and also I wanted to be treated as an employee and not favored in any way because I was a placement student. The placement itself was not alike to other placements in the respect that you were not treated like a placement student and instead treated like a employee. Although this sounds strange, it's a vital and important part of your own development to fit into a team and fulfill a workload in order to develop,

- Weekly 121s with my Line Manager - Monthly 121s with my Mentor The support that was fixed in place as well as available to me was always there. With my Line Manager we would work on my in-house, on the job training which would help me understand the role of a Service Manager and how the Service Management Team work together. Whereas with my Mentor we would discuss training courses, speaking in front of audiences, understanding the bigger picture of Computacenter. I felt that I had two great support systems which helped me gain a greater understanding on the company.

I actually had an extremely busy placement, during my first 6 months I was working in three different accounts and teams which meant that I had three different workloads from UNISON, Deutsche Bank and Lehman Brothers, Half way through my placement I went fulltime on the Deutsche Bank account where my responsibilities intensified as I narrowed into one specific job role.

I liked the fact that I could be trusted independently to manage my own time table and prioritize my work each week which would determine which accounts and teams I would visit. Before joining, I wished to be so much part of a team that if I were to leave, I would be missed. On reflection it seems like a strange goal but the more you wish to get involved in and the more you show you are capable, the more responsibilities that will come your way. There is ample opportunity in the company and as a placement student you will be entrusted with important reports, projects and assignments that require hard work and dedication.

- Presentation Skills Training - Continual Service Improvement Training I attended a handful of training events whilst at Computacenter, and the only reason I marked this section a 8/10 was purely because I did not take advantage enough of the training that was available, you can achieve and obtain graded and certificated training such as PRINCE2, ITIL and other recognized qualifications. Beyond that, I managed to stay on at Deutsche Bank working in the Computacenter team and I am doing so part time whilst being back at University. My team are guiding and assisting me in completing my final year project and I am not even a placement student anymore. It just shows the support and commitment from the staff at Computacenter to ensure that their staff are happy and well looked after.

Due to working on several different client accounts, each environment was very different depending on the team and the customer. This is all part of the learning curve and very interesting to see the relationship between Computacenter and it's customers first-hand. This was one area which I really enjoyed.

I felt that the Industrial Placement was very well set up, and even allows you to get involved with the new intake of students which is a nice touch and enables you to pass on any vital information or keep in contact for any hints and tips! There are dedicated staff members taking time out of their diaries to ensure that the placement offers you all it should be and I feel that the network of staff achieving this are truly considerate and supportive THROUGHOUT.

Each placement student can take advantage of course training as well as visiting members of staff around the company in order to develop through knowledge. The entire year of being with Computacenter you are supported and have various contacts to answer any questions.

Because the company is so large and has so many teams, so many customers. There is plenty of room and prospects if you search hard enough for them.

There are work drinks within teams and also placement related work drinks which can be organized. Working on accounts meant that I experienced a great social scene in London.

Most events are paid for by the company.

As most of the accounts I worked at were in central London it was a great hotspot for going out and socializing after work.

There were ample opportunities during my placement to get involved in activities outside of work, this can vary within each team.