Microbiology Technician GSK Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year with GSK. The staff were very welcoming and friendly and from the first day I felt like a valued member of the team. The placement year was a great opportunity to further develop and apply the skills learned at University whilst gaining new experiences in multiple aspects of the Quality department. As an IP you are trained by GSK and once competent received the same responsibility and workload as the employees.

I was considered as a full time member of staff, once the appropriate training was complete, meaning I was given a great deal of responsibility by my managers. I felt that my colleagues greatly valued my thoughts and opinions and as I became more experienced they always encouraged and appreciated my input and advice. I am grateful of the opportunity to work with such an amazing group of people.

My Managers whilst on placement were always available and willing to offer as much support and advice as possible. I did not have a formal PDP or regular meetings in place however they always ensured I was happy with the work and challenged me to reach my full potential along with provided constructive feedback. My managers were happy to share their knowledge and experience and provided me with a great deal of valuable careers advice towards the end of my placement.

Whilst on placement there was never a quiet day and was always plenty of work to be getting on with. I was assigned routine laboratory tasks on a daily basis which I was to complete alongside writing reports, investigation work, validation projects, data gathering and additional training. The work was fast paced and varied often which provided a great opportunity to develop new skills, especially organisation and time management.

Once trained and deemed competent I was responsible for assigning and managing my daily workload, which involved working independantly both in and out of the lab. As I became more experienced I was also responsible for the training of other members of the team. I was also responsible for a number of investigations and validation projects over the placement year, which greatly impacted the operations within the department.

Returning to University and the final year research project, I feel the experience and training I have gained will well equipped me to work independently and efficiently in the laboratory. Working within GSK has given me a great awareness of the Quality Assurance sector and the skills and attributes required to succeed in securing a role within a large Healthcare company. Knowing this now will drive my academic choices to achieve the career I want.

In both the office and the lab the atmosphere was great. Everyone was always focussed on the work in hand and collectively achieving the best possible results but at the same time it was always a fun and sociable place to work. The group dynamics worked well across the varied age groups and there were regular depatment meals and nights out, along with site wide social events and team bonding days.

The work placement was very well organised. I was put in contact with my manager before starting the placement who answered any questions I had prior to beginning my placement and informed me of the structure of my first week, which was reassuring. Upon arrival it was already arranged which area of the department I would be working within to begin with and all the required curricula was assigned to me to start training straight away. This meant that I was able to begin working and taking on responsibility within a few weeks of starting the placement. Throughout the placement I responsible for organising my own workload with guidance from my managers. I enjoyed the flexibility of the placement as I got to experience different aspects of the department and training in numerous lab techniques.

I received the same level of technical training as all other members of the team. I also attended numerous training days while on the placement held by both by internal and external subject matter experts. The training developed my awareness of a range of topics from good manufacturing practice and audit preparation to autoclaving and sterilisation techniques. I was also assigned a graduate mentor whilst on placement which was highly beneficial as she shared her knowledge and business skills whilst giving me an insight into a graduate career with GSK. I also worked with both my mentor and managers to develop new business skills and improve my performance. The company also invested in my passion for STEM and allowed me to volunteer at local schools regularly during work hours.

Future prospects within the company are very appealing. I will definitely be applying to the company following graduation and would love to return my placement site. There are a number of very prestigious schemes offered within the company for graduate. Also following the industrial placement there is the opportunity to sign onto a Direct Entry list and should jobs become available in a relevant department your CV is reviewed first. Once working within the company there are numerous development opportunities and options for career progression.

Yes there was a very good social scene between both placement student and colleagues. There were regular meals and night out in the local area and trips out to the cinema, shopping, bon fire night etc. There was also weekend trips to nearby cities arranged.

The cost of living within the local area was relatively cheap compared to city life. The town is pretty small so limited socialising to a cinema, leisure centre and a few pubs and restaurants, although the food and atmosphere was always great! The pub quiz was always a good evening out.

The nightlife locally was limited to a few pubs and a clubs, however about 20 minutes away there is a larger town which had slightly more to offer. Despite this, the night outs were always amazing due to the company.

The site was very keen in engaging with the public and arranging activities, these varied from fun runs to boat races in the Lake District and a float in the carnival. There were also lots of sports teams and sporting opportunities at the GSK sport club.