People and Network Development Executive Review

Overall, my placement year at the Volkswagen Group has been the ideal place for me to start my career. I have thoroughly enjoyed working for the company and have learnt so many new skills. The projects, tasks and general experiences that I have been fortunate enough to get involved in within the past year will help me not only in my future career, but also my final year at university.

One of the best things about working at Volkswagen Group is that employees do not view undergraduates as any lesser than other graduates or people on permenant contracts. You are here to do a job, and although people recognise you are still learning, they expect you to produce a high quality of work.

My line manager and head of department have been excellent throughout my placement. Although they knew i was only here for a year, they activley tried to improve my skills and put me forward for additional training and development. Furthermore, they got my involved in projects which weren't nessecarily in my immediate job role, but projects they thought would benefit me moving forwards.

Working for a fast paced company such as Volkswagen Group in a very adaptable role, I can honestly say I was involved in something different every week. Although I had my weekly tasks, the additional project work kept me busy throughout my year. However, my line manager understood about managing my workload, and was quick to realise if I needed more or less work depending on the week in question.

Throughout my time at Volkswagen Group I have been fortunate enough to manage projects with my own budget. Not many other companies would trust undergraduates with this sort of responsibility, but with the correct guidance and help VWG like to give their younger employees platforms to impress. Having the responsibility to control the outcomes of a project and manage key external and internal stakeholders has definitely been a highlight of my year on a personal level.

During my placement year I studied a moderated module on the work placement. When reflecting, I know that I will be in a lot better place when I go back to university in my final year. I have learnt a lot about how a global company operates on a day to day basis, which give me confidence that I will be able to go back to university and understand modules to a new level.

Although all people within the office are exceptionally busy, this hasn't effected the general feel within the office. There is a real team atmosphere especially in the smaller brands such as SEAT and SKODA, but overall everyone in the group loves the brand and this really comes across when working in the building day to day.

I feel that the placement was organised exceptionally well. All undergraduates were given the chance to drop in on a monthly basis to convey any problems or issues they had, whether that be regarding university work or work from their job role. Communication was brilliant throughout the placement, and I always felt as though I was fortunate to be at a company who valued placement students as much as VWG do.

Volkswagen Group invests massively in their placement students. All placement students are encouraged to take part in excel and powerpoint training from amature level all the way through to expert. This training is delivered by external suppliers on-site which makes attending the training easily accesible.

The prospects seem good and all undergraduates are encouraged to reapply to work for the company whether it be on the graduate scheme or in a permenant role. A lot of undergraduates seem to come back to the company which is testemant to the future employment prospects within the company.

There isn't many other times where you have 40 people all of a similar age in the same position going to work in the same building every day! Regular social events inside and out of work made it easy to settle into the area and make friends.

Despite being down south Milton Keynes is quite good in terms of the cost of living. Although it isn't as cheap as your northern university towns such as Newcastle, Leeds and Sheffield, it is affordable and commutable to London without paying the premium.

Due to the amount of undergraduates and graduates that VWG employ the nightlife and social scene is good. Although people travel a lot at weekends, there is always a night out planned for Friday or Saturday, and it is a good way to get to know people in different brands within the group. Milton Keynes has a lot of bars but not many clubs, but it's a good laugh with the right group!

Lots of opportunities whether it be sporting acitivites or social. The good thing about VWG is these activities are not restricted to graduates and undergraduates, a lot of the other employees like to get involved and it's a good way to network around the business.