Industrial Placement Student Review

My work on placement was extremely varied and changed daily which kept the placement interesting and my work enjoyable. By being assigned a project, this allowed my skills and expertise in a particular area to grow, one of the highlights of my placement work. There were also opportunities to get involved in work that was not explicitly scientific based, such as event organisation, which again contributed to the enjoyment of my work on placement.

In the team I worked with on placement, there were 13 industrial placement students. Due to the number of students taken on by the team, you can see that placement students are valued. Personally, I was made to feel that the work I was completing on placement contributed to the work of the team, and would agree that both this work and myself as an individual, felt valued by my colleagues.

The support on this placement was fantastic. If ever a query I would be able to approach either of my supervisors who responded quickly and appropriately. My own opinions were taken into account and I was given appropriate guidance when needed. There are also designated IP points of contact if you require support but feel you cannot approach your supervisor.

The work on this placement varied from day to day- depending on scientific experiments and the priorities of the team. On the vast majority of days I felt that my work was balanced, however on rare occasions I have been very busy. This placement has definitely taught me how to prioritise tasks and remain organised.

This varied dependent on which work stream I was working on. If supporting my supervisor in their work then I would not be responsible for the body of work itself, but the individual experiment that I was running. I was responsible for generating my own project work, under the guidance of my supervisor. I was also involved in organising a site wide event which I became responsible for through leading the team.

The technical skills I have learnt will be translated into my project work when I return to University, where I feel that this year has prepared me to complete a great project next year. The soft skills I have learnt are invaluable, as is gaining experience in a professional business environment.

As an open plan office, the atmosphere was great. I felt that I was able to chat and have a laugh with my colleagues without annoying others around me, which made the days enjoyable and pass very quickly. Through hot-desking, I was able to interact with different people in my office.

It is evident that the department was used to having placement students, as we were given a training week upon starting and were guided throughout the placement. There was a degree of variation within the workloads and placements of individual students in the team, of which not everyone had fully positive experiences.

The team, and therefore the company, supported me in development opportunities both on site and in different GSK departments. We were encouraged to network and talk to as many employees as possible to gain a bigger picture of GSK as a company and business. There were many opportunites for personal development.

GSK run a number of graduate schemes known as the Future Leader's Programme. Whilst on placement, I had the chance to talk to graduates on this scheme and apply through a Fast Track system open to IP students and Summer placement students. There are few direct entry roles available but I would hesitate to apply if one became available.

IPs were encouraged to meet and chat to fellow students both in and outside of the department, both casually but also through interdisciplinary journal and project clubs. Occasionally, social events were organised by the placement student 'social committee' on site, with regular social events organised by the department so you could interact with other students.