Year in Industry Development - Process & Leadership Review

I fully enjoyed my placement mainly due to my team, as they were extremely welcoming and really keen for me to get involved in some of the projected they were working on straightaway which made me feel very valued.

With the nature of the company almost speaking a different language with all the different acronyms they took time out to help me learn them and are always willing to answer all my questions no matter how basic. They got me involved in all there team exercises as soon as I start which made me feel like a member of the team immediately.

Upon my first day on arriving into the company I was asked what sort of things that I was interested in from a business perspective. As soon as I mentioned finance they were very supportive in finding me placements within the finance department. No only this my manager contacted the finance graduate manager and is supporting me on trying to get me on the scheme once I have graduated.

Initially although I was given work it was very slow, however as I become more integrated into the business I have been given my own projected which keeps me a busy as a full time job.

I was given huge responsibilities within my team. This is something I didn't expect at all being only a year in industry student, but I was entrust with all my own reports to my area director and even above. I was even given some quite senior projects to help assist on which were very exciting and made me feel very valued and respected,

The main skill that I have taken away from my placement in my ability to use excel. Before starting the company I could barely use excel at all now I am extremely competent with using the software. This skill will be very transferable in any carer I choice.

Within the main corporate office due to its size the atmosphere wasn't as high as it was within some of the smaller delivery units offices that I got to visit within my placement. However in the main office within my team there was always usually conversations following and were always up for a laugh.

Initially the placement wasn't very disorganised as my team and line manager wasn't aware I was coming until the very last minute. Also it took almost two month for me to get a laptop so there was very little work I could get on with.

Anything that I requested that I want to attend as long as there was reasoning behind it my manager fully supported me. The main thing I wanted to get was attending the course that allowed me to go on tracker, which I got put on as soon as I requested it and would recommend anyone who attends the placement at Network Rail to do the same. As going out of a track shift if a very eye opening and interesting experience.

I am very keen to join the company after I have graduated, my manager is already taking to the head of the finance grad scheme in how I go about it, and sat with him and all seems very promising.

Part from the other placement students I lived with there was very little interaction with any other placement student which I have heard it completely different within the graduate scheme. However my team and our joining team very had a great time on many after work nights out which was a great way to get to know each other away from work.

Living in Birmingham I pleasantly surprised on how cheap it was to socialise and live only a 20min walk to the city centre. There are definitely more expensive nice places to go on nights out, however the majority of places are very reasonably priced.

The nightlife was great in Birmingham, there were places to go for nice cocktails with your friends but also broad street and Selly oak, for your more traditional student night out.

There are many sports clubs and gym located all around Birmingham, if there is something you want to do, there will be somewhere in Birmingham that will provide it.