Statistics Industrial Placement Student Review

My 12-month 'Statistics' placement at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was valuable and enjoyable. I was given numerous opportunities to meet people, learn new Statistics, develop previous skills, gain new skills and present my views and understandings. GSK also offered the opportunity to be a STEM ambassador and this meant that I could engage with students, schools and STEM events, making the placement worthwhile and rewarding.

From the very start of my placement, I was given challenging projects and tasks and it was clear I was valued by my colleagues. Despite being an undergraduate student with limited knowledge in Statistics, my thoughts and understanding of Statistical analyses was respected and asked for. By the end of my placement, I had trained a group of employees in a Statistical software and worked on at least 15 projects.

As there was a lot to learn before the job and on the job, my manager and colleagues supported me every step of the way. I was given plenty of literature to read from and my colleagues made sure that I was confident with previous knowledge of Statistics and tutored me new statistical techniques. I had regular meetings with my manager to freely speak about any issues I had and potential developments.

On a daily basis, I would be replying to several emails in the mornings and I would work on 3-4 projects simultaneously through to the end of the day. At the same time, I had other commitments such as mentoring and attending regular meetings. Although the day was busy and unlike university, when the day ended, all work was left at the office and I had the rest of the day to relax.

As mentioned before, I was juggling 3-4 projects a day and by the end I had completed at least 15 projects. Not only was I responsible for my own projects but stand in for my manager at meetings by being able to answer challenging questions on Statistics or process. Three months into my placement, I had the pleasure to work on training material and the go on to train employees by the next quarter.

A definite lifelong skill I learnt was professionalism which has shaped me into being more decisive and mature about my decisions. Naturally, professionalism has bought out the confidence in me and means I am now more open to express my thoughts. In terms of technical skills, I revised a lot of my previous knowledge of statistics which would be vital for my third-year undergraduate studies in Mathematics and Statistics at university of Kent.

Working in a technical department was very quiet however, it was the sound of intelligent minds at work. When there were any questions raised, the atmosphere was great. Everyone is very supportive of each other and if in doubt of anyone’s views, it was ensured we would find the solution together. The occasional cakes and treats on the treats table bought out the fun in everybody.

Overall, the placement was set up well but there are room for improvements. I was glad that when I started, I was not finishing any unfinished projects but starting from fresh. The projects I engaged and worked on were quite repetitive and I thought it could have been better if the projects were planned before any industrial placement students starts and in the case where this is not possible, then at least the area of statistics to be learnt could have been planned. Also, the handover from the previous industrial placement student to the next could be longer and more organised.

There was a lot of training but could have been more development. I had at least 40 different trainings in the first three months and in addition I attended talks, conferences and courses at different sites to build my knowledge of Statistics. However, this lasted up to the first half of my placement and nothing was developed further. I would have liked to attend more talks and conferences, especially in the topics I have gained interests in the first half of my placement.

The future employment prospects within the organisation are appealing. The graduate programme is very competitive as GSK trains and develops you to be a ‘Future Leader’. It offers great opportunities to move and explore the fields you’re interested in and great for anyone wanting to manage in the future. There are also other alternatives which is equally appealing.

There was a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students. Most students lived locally from the site and a social was on at least every fortnight. GSK also has its own ‘society’ for placement students across sites. They had a social at least every two months which was useful in meeting students from other sites and experience.