Project Support Specialist Review

I enjoyed my undergraduate placement with Audi UK tremendously. I was part of the Audi Network Partners scheme, which had me based and working in an actual dealership as opposed to head office. I worked on behalf of Lookers Plc. and was based at Glasgow Audi. I was given a wide range of responsibilities and projects to work on during my year long placement. These projects were engaging and insightful, as i spent time with a variety of different departments within Glasgow Audi which was fantastic from both a development standpoint and a personal enjoyment perspective.

Within two weeks of working on placement i felt i had been with the company for years. Everyone made me feel very welcome and nobody viewed me as "That placement student", rather another employee who came into work the same as everybody else. There were many people who i worked with throughout my year that went that extra mile to show me things i would find interesting or to help grow my knowledge of the motor trade.

My development was logged every three months with my line manager, using a framework PDF which was sent by Audi UK. This allowed us to track my progress and where any improvements could be made. In addition, my placement supervisor was offering constant support and made sure the work i was doing was of the correct standard

When i initially joined new departments, there were a few moments when i was doing work which i completed quickly and then i was not doing much afterwards. However these moments were far and few between, i knew that taking the incentive for work would ensure that i was kept busy and generally i was busy throughout the day.

I was never thrown in the deep end with tasks, or asked to do something that managers would not do themselves, so i was only given responsibility on projects which were explained to me in advance. I was trusted to get the work done and managers expected from me that once i was given a task, i would complete it within a pre-determined time frame.

There were three Audi UK courses i went on throughout my year, all of which took place at Volkswagen NLC in Milton Keynes. These courses count towards Audi's certification programmes so if i wished to return once my degree was over then this would allow me to become certified in a role quicker than usual. In addition, my communication skills have improved tremendously as well as my analytical writing skills. this will no doubt aid me in writing my dissertation during my final year of university.

Due to the size of Glasgow Audi, it was a very fast paced but positive atmosphere. I was always welcome to go into my manager's office simply for a casual conversation and there would always be colleagues who would come into work with a smile on their face. Overall it was a lovely atmosphere to work in.

On my first week i was given a timetable of all the departments i would be spending time with, and when i would be joining them. However as the dealership underwent a period of restructuring, there were a few of these departments i never had the chance to go to. Regardless, when this occurred my placement supervisor already had a new plan waiting for me and new projects for me to work on.

As previously mentioned, i went on three training courses of behalf of Audi UK. I also underwent various online training modules to supplement this. I was also given the opportunity to attend a car auction, sit in on senior managers meetings, and visit Lookers' other Audi dealerships throughout the UK to see the different ways different dealerships operate within themselves.

I've been offered a part-time hosting role while i'm in my final year of university, which i have happily accepted. In terms of long term, i have received good feedback from all the managers in different departments, so i know there will be opportunities in the future for something more permanent. The way my placement was structured, meaning i got the spent time with more than one department, means that i got a better idea of what i would want to do if i was here on a permanent basis.

As i was the only Scottish undergraduate within the Audi Network Partners scheme, the rest of my fellow undergards were working in different dealerships in England. Therefore i only seen them when we were down for training. While this wasn't ideal, we still kept in contact throughout the placement and when we were down for training we had downtime in which we were able to properly socialise.

As i was living at home in Glasgow, not sure how much it would have been for someone moving here but generally to socialise in Glasgow s fairly cheap. There are countless bars, clubs, restaurants and other things like that in Glasgow, which already has a thriving student population due to the three major universities within the city.

Again, Glasgow is known for its nightlife so anyone who would be on placement here would have an endless stream of nightlife opportunities.

There were opportunities to get involved in marketing events and sales events that the sales team were running throughout the placement. As most of these events were on weekends i generally didn't attend, but you do get offered the chance to come along and participate if you are genuinely interested.