Industrial Placement Analyst Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year. From the work I produced to the people I met it was an amazing experience and one I would certainly recommend. Colleagues were warm and welcoming, the work was challenging whilst being exciting and there was always something going on whether it be a new project to work on or a social event or fundraiser.

I felt extremely valued during my placement year and felt I was treated as an equal to full time analyst which meant I worked on important projects that had an impact on the business. Colleagues praised and recognised my hard work which made me feel valued.

I had a lot of contact with my manager as well as weekly one to ones. This was great as I could always approach my manager for support or guidance at any time of day but I also had an allocated time slot where we could address any concerns or improvements that were required.

As in most professions, some days were busier than others but there was always something to be working on. If it ever got too busy there would always be someone around to help and if you didn't feel busy enough there was always a project you could help out on or other work to be done.

I was given a vast amount of responsibility on my placement from leading my own investigation to being a key role in a large scale business change project. I never thought I would get the opportunity to have so much responsibility as a placement student. I never found it to be daunting though, it was always exciting.

The most important skill that I will take away from my placement year is time management. Having a routine has really helped me to work more efficiently whilst still having a personal life and good personal wellbeing. I also have technical and analytical skills that will not just support me in my final year but in my future career. Placement year, the support and encouragement from my manager and team has helped me to develop my confidence and self belief hugely.

The office was professional with a friendly atmosphere. It was a place I looked forward to spending my day as, I feel, most colleagues there did. There was a lot of social activities that went on from an office bake off to team fun bonding and building exercises. Everyone knew one another well and there was no difference in the way you were treated by an analyst or a senior manager.

From day one projects and tasks had been thought out and planned with placement students in mind. After only three works I was working on a really important project that had an impact on not just my department but eight others too. I transitioned from project to project seamlessly and had the opportunity to experience a real variety of work and develop a breadth of skills.

The company heavily invested in my personal training. Within my first month I had already experienced two weeks in house training in basic coding language, emails and other company software followed by four days training at one of the groups training centres which also included training from a well renowned external company and then more in house training on the coding program SAS.

I am fortunate enough to have been offered a place on the graduate scheme with LBG starting in 2017. They are really encouraging of future employment prospects and discuss what option best suited me. They often welcome placement students back for a full time position in a similar role to that of their placement, they offer a variety of graduate schemes and as a placement student I was able to take a slightly 'fast track' route in applying for one within my division (Risk).

There was 15 other placement students based in Leeds with myself and we all got on really well and organised many social events between ourselves from Otley Runs (bar crawls) to dinners and nights out. We also worked hard cross sight with other placement students in a charity to challenge in which the 90+ LBG placement students across the UK raised over £13,000 for Children in Need.

Leeds is reasonably cheap. There is a lot of student accommodation in the Hyde Park and Headingley areas, whether that's house sharing or student halls. However, a fellow place my student and I chose to live in a professional let in the city centre, as did a few other placement students. This was still affordable and a lot nicer than student accommodation. Bills were reasonable too. Nights out are relatively cheap especially if you go to the student union or student nights. There is a lot of choice for shopping and other activity which is all relatively cheap.

Leeds is great for nightlife. There is the student areas, Hyde Park and Headingly, which have loads of bars and pubs, all really cheap. You've also got the student unions and clubs for Leeds Uni and Leeds Beckett, all a really good night out. If you fancy something more sophisticated there are a lot of good cocktail bars in the city centre and some cheap and cheerful classics such as Revolutions, Yates and Spoons. There are a variety of clubs and bars across the city centre but most our found on call lane which is a really fun night (I recommend Back Room if you're there) it's a bit more expensive than the student places but it's great fun.

There was so much going on with the department. The social committee were always organising something, inside and outside of work. Over my placement year I took part in a treasure hunt throughout the city centre, a department version of family fortunes, pointless and million pound drop, as well as a Major Series mud run, walking the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, shuffle board tournaments at the local Shuffle Dog bar as well as a Christmas Party and Handover Parties.