IS Analyst Review

I really enjoyed my placement year at National Grid. I was given plenty of responsibilities throughout as well as getting exposure to senior management on a regular basis. I would highly recommend the scheme and the IS department in particular.

I felt valued throughout the whole year in all job roles,i was given work that if i was not doing, the team would have been having to do therefore felt like i was given a lot of responsibility throughout. I was included in all meetings/away days that my team had, and they were always introducing me to more people and encouraging me to work on my development

Throughout placement i had my manager of each role, HR support (The Academy), a business coordinator and a mentor (which i found myself - this was not assigned). All gave me different kinds/levels of support which i was happy with, as i could go to any with issues but had the wide support network if i needed it. There is plenty of support at National Grid in general not just for IP students, therefore needing any kind of guidance doesn't feel like a huge issue and can be sorted with any of the above mentioned.

My workload depended on the role i was in (my scheme included 3, 4 month roles rather than 1, 12 month role). In general though as can be expected it came in "peaks and troughs". This meant some weeks i could be very busy and other weeks i had a lot of free time. This would depend on the role, but in the slower weeks i was able to either ask for more work, work on my development plan, online training, shadowing and much more. It allowed time to make the most of being on placement and building a network. Busier weeks of course didn't a lot for this so much, but i was able to keep in touch with my manager and recognize when it was becoming too much.

Again, responsibility depended on the role i was in (my scheme included 3, 4 month roles rather than 1, 12 month role). However i felt in some roles i had more responsibility than i could have ever wished for in my placement year. I was working on a huge new process for the department, getting exposure to external suppliers but also internal "customers", this gave me a lot of experience and allowed me to even manage others. In my other roles i had just as much, but also got the chance to make smaller pieces of work my own which i know would still be in use after i left therefore feeling like i was able to deliver good strong pieces of work.

I feel the experience i have gained and the skills that i have developed will assist me in my final year at university yes, as well as in a graduate position. I have been involved in training that has given me a Lean Accreditation, development planning, stakeholder management and much more. The skills i have developed are very relevant to my course and include skills such as communication, presenting, conflict management, planning and organizing and also whatever leadership experience i can get throughout.

I have worked in both Warwick and Solihull offices throughout, and both are relaxed places to work. Our offices are bright, air-conned and usually most people are very welcoming. We have a hot-desking policy which means no one has a set desk and we can sit where ever there is space. Teams do have rough areas and banks of desks to sit in, but its a great atmosphere as it means you regularly see the senior leadership.

I enjoyed the structure of my placement. My scheme included 3, 4 month roles rather than 1, 12 month role within the IS department. However i was the only student out of all the NG placement students to do this, therefore meant it could clash with my reviews occasionally. However all parties were open to moving these around and we were able to come to agreements on when best to place reviews for me and my scheme structure. There is occasional training at the start and end of scheme with a little falling just before your first review. This worked well and was a good chance to see the students who were not based in the same office as you.

We had the assigned HR training, and we were able to sign on to training courses if they suited our job or fit our development plans. I felt all of my teams were keen to see me develop, and all offered different opportunities whether that be shadowing another team, volunteering, days out or suggested training courses.

I am planning to return as a graduate student which gives you a good starting point within the organisation. I would like the chance to work in other parts of the business too so feel a strong career could be had at NG.

Yes, those of us who were based at head office regularly met for sports, dinners, nights out throughout the year. We also arranged several trips throughout the year ( i organised was to the London Power Tunnels where we went underground into the tunnels and visited the Highbury SubStation) and was a good chance to meet up with students who were not based at head office.

Neutral - i commuted from home. I understand the housing was was quite expensive but that was if you wanted to live close to town/the train station. There were cheaper options slightly further out however the wage MORE than covered the rent and living costs each month.

Ok - as most of the Warwick university students live in/around Leamington Spa there are several clubs which i visited occasionally. Leicester/Birmingham/Coventry are not too hard to get to though.

Yes! There are clubs (sports/singing etc), but mainly charity fundraising which is good to get involved in. Teams will usually have 1 or 2 socials a year which is nice and there are Christmas parties which are split into departments.