Industrial Placement Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at GSK. The insight I've gotten and the work I've carried out throughout the year has proven to be really interesting and I feel lucky that I was given this opportunity. Of course there are times when I didn't enjoy it as much but this was only the odd occasion. I feel better prepared for my final year and final year project now after learning lots of different techniques in the lab.

I felt really valued by my colleagues - as if I was a permanent member of staff. I was given plenty of responsibility and often asked by different people if I could help with a piece of work or a different project. My team made a constant effort to make me feel involved and ensure I was happy with how things were going.

My supervisory and management support was excellent. My supervisor was so easy to talk to and willing to answer any questions I may have. She ensured I was taught all the laboratory techniques I required but also would run through them again with me if I was unsure about something. The guidance throughout my project was great and my supervisor would always take time to read my work. Likewise, my manager was always accessible and willing to help.

It did vary a bit throughout the year. At the start of my placement the company was going through a reorganisation so which projects were going to be carried on in the new year was difficult to judge so I didn't start my project until after Christmas. I did have work to do before Christmas but just a lesser amount. When my project started in January I was really busy. There is also other routine work in the department that you can volunteer to do, as well as charity and school work experience that the whole site helps with.

I think I was given a fair amount of responsibility throughout my placement - especially in the last few months, I became almost completely independent. This involved both lab work and office based work. I was able to manage my own time and decide when I wanted to complete studies (with my supervisor's advise if I required it).

I have developed both professional and personal skills this year that I think will help me a great amount both at university and beyond. I have become much more competent in the lab this year than I did in my 2 previous years at university. I know how the industry works now which I think will give me a good step up when applying for jobs/grad schemes/PhDs.

I think the atmosphere in my office is great. the team I worked within get along very well together. People will often have a joke and a little chat during work which makes the day go by quicker. Often cakes/biscuits are brought in to share which is nice. Everyone is really friendly and willing to help and communicate about their work with others.

I think my placement was really well organised (despite the initial unknown regarding my project). It is routine for my department to have placement students so they have a well structured year to train the student and to help them complete the project. This includes writing a literature review at the beginning, lab training, project report as well as other non-project related work within the department.

I think the company invested me, I was allowed to go to a conference for a few days which opened up my opportunities to form connections with other people in the same field as me. If there was something I wanted to learn in a different department or even in my own department all I had to do was ask and arrange a time.

Future employment prospects within the company are very appealing to me. There are a few routes into the company - grad schemes and direct entry. If the opportunity arose of a job opportunity in my department I don't think I would hesitate to take it. Though this is unlikely as I'm not sure there are many people taken on in the direct entry route. There are also opportunities to complete summer placements.

The social scene amongst my colleagues was good. Every year the department has a Christmas outing which usually is a trip into London for food and drinks. They also attend the annual beer festival which is a lot of fun. Christmas meals/summer bbq at work are often arranged so that we go as a team every now and again. The amount of placement students in Ware taking into account both sites is around 40. Though Ware is a small town, there is always something to do. There was a group of us that would always arrange to do things at the weekend - the infamous 'Stonehouse' in Hertford was frequently visited. As well as this trips into London, a trip to Dublin and various other places were arranged. I met a few of my best friends this year so I think the social scene has been great.

Generally it's quite expensive to live in Ware. However, there are some cheaper places to live in. I managed to find a flat which was cheap and in a good location. Being from the North I'm used to cheap drinks however the pubs can be quite expensive in Ware, but there are pubs you can visit which sell cheaper drinks - the sports and social club being one!

There are lots of pubs and places to eat in Ware but no Nightlife. However, there's a train which takes 5 minutes to get to Hertford which has lots of bars and a couple of clubs which we often visited. The trains make it really easy to get to London, the only problem with this is either you have to wait for the first train home in the morning or uber it home (~£10 each) which isn't too expensive.

The sports and social club offers lots of different activites such as canoeing, cycling, tennis, badminton etc. There is also the opportunity to get involved in the football team and cricket team. There is a gym on site which is subsided - it also has daily gym classes. Occasionally there might be a charity event, community day or christmas event which is run outside of work hours with opportunity to attend.