Business and Marketing Support Review

Lubrizol was a great place to work. Everyone there was very friendly and helpful throughout my time on placement. The relaxed but focused working environment aided this and I feel that this contributed to myself feeling comfortable through the year. The tasks in work and activities outside of work also made it a very enjoyable year on placement.

My opinions and the work I produced felt valued. I was not just a placement student but instead was a team member. This was a big confidence boost and lead to me feeling like I could contribute much more to projects I was working on as well as being praised for good work I produced.

My work was spread over two departments and the support and help I got off the people supervising me from these departments was good. My supervisors did tend to travel a lot which lead to me being given independence and to work using my own initiative but they sis till help me and check in on me well.

I was given many tasks throughout my placement that made up my base work. This kept me busy day to day completing these tasks but on top of that I also had projects that I worked on. This increased my workload but it was at a manageable level and also helped me motivate myself more to complete my work.

I was given a lot of responsibility at Lubrizol. I was given the chance to be independent and use my own initiative to provide work that was my own. This has given me the confidence that I am now capable of producing a good standard of work in my future career.

Having been given this opportunity to develop practical skills to go alongside my theoretical knowledge from my degree, I feel the understanding of a how a business operates will only benefit me in relating that to my final year University work. Also, developing my organisational skills, time management and communication are all skills that will assist me greatly in the future.

Lubrizol had a very relaxed work area and the atmosphere in the office was always positive. The environment may have been relaxed but it was always very focused as well. This was a great balance and provided positive outcomes in the form of key business decisions.

The placement set up at Lubrizol is very well organised from before the interview process, right through the entire year I have spent here which has resulted in me feeling extremely comfortable and in a professional environment. The pre-placement preparation was very well organised by Kim Ager and all students on site are looked after very well by everyone.

Lubrizol didn't treat me like a student but more of an actual employee. Because of this, it meant that any assistance or help I needed I was given the opportunity to develop myself accordingly as if i was a full time employee. I received my initial training when I started and when I came across something new, I was allowed to explore development opportunities with regards to that.

Lubrizol use the placement scheme to their benefit. Having students here gives them the opportunity to see first hand how many people work and if they are a good fit for the company. They do not have a graduate scheme but the amount of students they retain and offer jobs to after their degree is a very encouraging.

Lubrizol have a large amount of students each year and we all got on very well. This encouraged us all to make friends and meet up outside of work hours and we did a lot of socialising with each other through the year. Being in the same situation as each other meant we bonded quite well and there were also occasions where I went out with colleagues in my department as well.

The cost of living in Derby was quite cheap for rent and bills, which means I saved a lot more money for socializing! Having plenty of supermarkets close by and sharing lifts to work also meant I could cut down on the cost of living and with plenty of socialising opportunities around, it was easy to find something to do to match your budget.

Derby has a decent nightlife and it it can get quite busy in the city centre and the Friar Gate area. This was good to have it local as it was a 10 minute walk from my house But also having Nottingham close by was brilliant for going out as it is a very good night out.

The sports and social club at Lubrizol provided many different opportunities to get involved with activities outside of work. They ran trips to major UK cities and local occasions. As well as setting up sporting events and other sociable activities which was a great way to interact with people from work.