Supply Chain Officer Review

I loved my placement in the Supply Chain team at ViiV. I was given a lot of responsibility in my role and had the opportunity to learn so much about the Supply function, as well as how the company operated as a whole. ViiV has such a warm and friendly environment - it was a very welcoming place to spend my placement year.

I felt extremely valued by my colleagues and was treated as a true member of the team. My contributions were always listened to and appreciated. I never felt like I was considered 'the intern', and was given so many great opportunities throughout the year.

I was well-supported by my line manager as well as other members of the Supply Chain team. Each of them helped me develop different skill sets which will be invaluable when applying for roles in the future. I was not micro-managed at all and was trusted to handle issues on my own and continue to learn as I did so.

Generally I was quite busy and never felt like I was sitting around with nothing to do. Some weeks were often busier than others depending on the meetings we had, but this tended to balance itself out. Regular meetings each week gave my days a lot of structure to work to, which I liked.

I was given a lot of responsibility from the start of my placement, and this increased over the course of my placement year. I had many fantastic projects that I was responsible for and proud of. When working with colleagues externally, some were unaware that I was a placement student, which was very pleasing.

I learnt so much about the world of work that went far beyond my studies at university. I have grown a lot as a person in many ways and developed a set of skills that will be advantageous when applying for jobs later on. I also learnt a great amount about how a company operates and other areas of the business that interested me.

ViiV had such a friendly and open environment. Hot-desking meant that you could sit with different people in different functions each day. Everyone was always willing to talk to you, go for a coffee and show you more about their line of work.

The placement scheme was very well organised and run. We were well-supported throughout the year. There are only 6 placement students taken on each year, which was great as it meant we were all very close.

In addition to the support from my manager, I was able to attend numerous workshops throughout the year. This included an Insights workshop which was fantastic for my development on placement, and will be extremely useful for future jobs.

I would love to be able to work in ViiV again, and there are graduate opportunities to do so through GSK.

There was a large placement student community that ran regular social events. The social scene in the office itself was also good, and drinks were organised every month or so, which was always fun.

Based in West London, it was not the cheapest area to be living in. There were a few pubs in the area which were good for a drink or two.

There wasn't a lot in the immediate area, but bars and clubs were only a tube ride away in to central London.

There were many volunteering opportunities to get involved in for ViiV and GSK, such as selling merchandise for charities, as well as attending charity awards evenings. We could also volunteer to interview local sixth form students in nearby schools. Events supporting HIV charities were also organised in ViiV.