Procurement Industrial Placement Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at GSK, understanding the requirement of Procurement in a business and the value it can add whilst creating savings. Moreover it developed my professional understanding of how a corporate business functions, by learning about the different departments and the business processes involved in each.

My colleagues made me feel very valued by incorporating me into team lunches and team meetings. There was a sense of feeling involved by being greeted in the mornings aswell as having conservations and working on the same projects daily. They were understanding that I would not know the business acronyms since I was from a science degree based background.

My manager gave me continuous support and guidance throughout my placement year which was supported by other team members. Regular catch up meetings were set up with my line manager to discuss my project work and to go through any other business that is relevant. I enjoyed this regular interaction with my line manager since it provided me with the opportunity to ask any questions.

I was extremely busy some days whereas other days I was less busy yet still had a substantial amount of work to complete. This provided me with a challenging workload which I enjoyed. The workload consisted from activities in both the core business service areas of Procurement aswell as the production area of Procurement.

During my placement, I was given responsibility on a number of activities in both CBS and Production Procurement. In CBS Procurement, I was managing certain parts of projects both in IT (updating our Visitor and Car Parking system application) and in Travel (managing the transfer of contractual documents from our preferred airlines to our new payment supplier). Whereas in Production Procurement, I took ownership for requesting our material suppliers to fill in a questionnaire about their waste water treatment practises.

My degree is in Biology however there was many transferable skills that I acquired throughout my IT Procurement placement that I could use to improve my studies during my degree. For example, I used Microsoft Excel to a large extent throughout my placement year which is beneficial to my degree as I can now confidently use Pivot Tables to identify particular parts of my spread sheets. .

The general atmosphere in my office was very positive and upbeat. Every morning my colleagues and I great each other and discuss weekend plans and upcoming holidays which allows everyone to build successful relationships. My colleagues in the office are very polite and well-mannered and have a good sense of humour despite being incredibly busy at times.

The overall placement was very well set up in terms of the application and interview process with regular updates to the stage of my application. Whilst working, I have regular conversations with the Procurement Early Talent Manager who advises of the stages of development the industrial placements should be working towards throughout the year.

The company has invested in lunch and learns for the Procurement Industrial Placement students to provide them with a more in depth background to Procurement and insights into Procurement that is happening at other GSK sites internationally. The Procurement Industrial Placement students also get to listen to guest speakers who are current GSK employees that have a vast knowledge and experience at GSK, who provide unique insights into their roles at GSK and any advice that they may have for us.

Future employment prospects within the organisation are very appealing, since GSK is one of the top undergraduate employers. However it is not reassuring to know that the chances of getting a graduate scheme placement is slim, because of the high volume of applicants with very good experience and qualities that would also make them great candidates as graduates at GSK. However there is also the option of career roles through application by direct entry. This looks like a highly desirable option for me to extend my career at GSK which I am highly anticipating and have a desire to do.

There was a really good social scene amongst Industrial Placement students, due to the setup of IP unite which is a society run by current GSK industrial placement students. The IP Unite group regularly created social events at a low cost that fitted a time around work that we could all attend (if no prior plans elsewhere). There was also team socials and Orange days that industrial placement students could become involved with and provided networking opportunities with the wider team in Procurement and in other departments at GSK.

During my industrial placement year, I lived at home since it was more economical this way, by commuting in. Although some of my colleagues in the office live in the local area of Brentford and Chiswick. Brentford seems to be reasonable price if there is the option of living with other people and share communal areas. However these opinions of my colleagues may be slightly biased on their salary. Socialising in Brentford is fairly expensive however there is a local pub that provides discounts to GSK workers which is fantastic.

The nightlife in Brentford is really quiet. However a short train journey to Clapham Junction provides a wide variety of nightclubs and bars which are full of students and young people, and at reasonable prices. However the main nightclubs are restricted to 21’s and over which may prevent some people in the group from entering, or limits the nightlife choices of the group you are with that evening.

Outside of work there was many volunteering areas which industrial placement students could become involved in, such as football and netball clubs which many of the Industrial Placement students at GSK, have become involved in this year. Moreover there is an onsite gym which has multiple classes and the option of having a personal trainer.