Industrial Placement Engineer Review

Thoroughly enjoyed being at GSK. The people are great and very welcoming and the environment itself is very nurturing. On top of your job there have also been plenty of opportunities for extra curricular activities, such as fund raising, sports participation, STEM events etc.

I was welcomed into the engineering team and was lucky enough to receive real responsibilities from quite an early stage. They are almost always available to offer help and support with tasks.

Management were good at delegating me tasks, and showing me opportunities that may interest me. Sometimes the tasks given were not so interesting, but overall they have put my personal development first.

There was not always a consistent level of working, as the beginning was quieter, but this is the case with most placements. Overall, I was kept busy, whether it was with the job responsibilities or extra curricular activities supported by GSK. There were on occasion a lack of technically challenging activities to keep me busy, but this is the only criticism.

I have been given a good amount of responsibility and have had the ability to support work in important projects and well as run my own projects with a good degree of autonomy. There are good opportunities to take responsibility in certain roles with this company, for example one of my projects had a site wide positive impact.

GSK has been fantastic in developing skills in terms of knowledge of the manufacturing industry. It has showed me the company structure, the careers available, the importance of soft skills (i.e. teamwork and communication), standard pharmaceutical procedures, how degree related material applies to the work environment, as well as a wealth of training. Overall, it will be very useful going for both my final year of eductation and helping to choose a career path

The office is open plan, so all departments sit with each other, which was great in developing a postive atmosphere. It really helped in terms of getting to know colleagues when joining, and to feel at ease when approaching them for help on work. There was never a bad mood in the office and everyone knows each other, which helped add to the overall placement experience.

The beginning 6 months of the placement was well structured, however the second half was not so well structured, and there were occasionally times where productivity was low due to lack of work. This was not often though, and was mainly due to organisational changes within the company, which ended up preventing some projects. Although unfortunate, it is not something supervisors and managers can be held accountable for

They have invested in me well and have given me plenty of opportunities to develop and see many other areas of business. I have had good experiences when seeing other GSK sites, and have also had the pleasure to be sent on training courses, which have later helped to add value to the site. Additionally, if you perform well, managers will encourage you to apply for graduate roles and direct entry.

Future employment prospects are good. With a good performance in placement year, you will make many contacts as well as be put forward for the graduate scheme. You receive encouragement to make the most out of what GSK can offer, and even have the opportunity to be kept on an employment register for 2 years, so hiring managers can contact you for direct entry.

On my particular site there were few placement students and social activities were not always available. In terms of placement students across the GSK network there are plenty of opportunities to socialise and even wind up on a boat party! Fellow colleagues do make an effort, as they organise party's and leaving do's. However, it was always my preference to socialise beyond work

The cost of living was reasonable and around the national average, which is very good given the location is close to London (only a 25 minute train). Socialising in my area could be quite expensive, given its proximity to London. Surrounding areas, such as Windsor is also on the more expensive side, but overall was never a huge issue.

In the immediate area the night life was poor, and to have any good nightlife you need to travel out for at least 10 minutes on a train or 15 minutes by car. This is due to the fact the site is located near an industrial estate, so the immediate area does not really accommodate for nightlife.

There were plenty of opportunities, this is an area GSK excelled in. They encouraged me to represent the company in a chemical engineering event called Frank Morton, I was able to visit other sites, I had the opportunity to take part in and organise STEM events, as well as set up fund raisers for charity. This really does help you to become a well rounded individual.