Industrial Placement Student Review

I really enjoyed my time at GSK. I had the opportunity to learn many lab techniques as part of my project, as well as building on other personal skills such as presenting and communicating in a team.

My colleagues made me feel like I was part of a team, and that I wasn't just a student who was there with them temporarily.

I received good support from my supervisors, but also from other members of my team when I needed it. This included support with university deadlines, project planning and lab techniques that I was required to learn as part of my project.

I found myself busy almost everyday, particularly after my project picked up after approximately 3 months of my placement starting. It was a good balance most of the time, and made work days fly by!

I was given the opportunity to be independent during my placement, which allowed me to organise my own time and plan my own experiments. I had occasional catch-ups with my supervisors, which was helpful to check that I was staying on track.

I am sure the skills I have gained will be invaluable for my final year of university. This particularly refers to the confidence I gained with carrying out lab work, and scientific writing.

The office had a relatively chilled out atmosphere most of the time. Everyone was friendly, and people could chat.

It was well set up overall, and the support was there for me to complete my placement.

The company invested a lot of their time and money in training me.

As far as I'm aware, GSK do not tend to offer graduate jobs at the end of student placement years. However, there were a number of full time members of staff in my department who used to be placement students, so I think it does get your foot in the door if you apply to the company after a placement year there!

There were 8 students in my department, and over 100 across the GSK Stevenage site, so there were plenty of opportunities to be sociable. Also, the department sometimes held socials.

The rent was cheap for the house I was in (under £300 a month), but socialising was a bit more expensive generally (drinks on a night out could be £4.50 for a single, but if you timed it correctly with happy hour available at various places, it wasn't bad!).

There was 1 club that students tended to go to in Stevenage (Bar and Beyond), which also offers 50% off drinks during the late afternoon-early evening. There are also various bars (e.g. Wetherspoons, Cinnabar) in Old Town Stevenage.

There were opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. I joined a gym and a tennis club, and I know other students who joined running clubs/netball clubs/football clubs, and also took up French classes and volunteering.