Industrial Placement Student (R&D) Review

I really enjoyed my year at GSK Stevenage working within R&D. This year has allowed me to develop many skills applicable to future lab work and that would be useful in a non-lab job. It has given me an insight into what careers in science look like and has helped me to decide on the next steps to pursue after university.

Working within a small team for a specific project aim meant that I could see the impact of results I obtained on other team members and planning for subsequent experiments. I received both support from my colleagues and positive encouragement about the work I was doing. This all contributed to me feeling valued within my team and department.

In our first week all IPs in our department attended general training talks and activities. This settled us into the lab environment and ensured we all had the basic knowledge needed to start our year well. I have had two supervisors over the course of the year and both have been great. They have supported me as I have learnt new techniques and have aided with reports for my university.

This varied greatly dependent on experimental plans. At the start of the year I managed to attend many talks and lectures as my schedule was less packed. Once my project got going these opportunities were less frequent, though I could move things around to attend the ones I was really interested in. I believe this is the same for anyone undertaking research work. Overall I would say I was often a good amount of busy, but there were short periods of time where I had little to do or what felt like too much.

My responsibility grew as the placement progressed. At the start of my placement I worked closely with my supervisor on the project she was working on before I arrived. Once I started my own project later in the year my level of responsibility increased, I planned my own experiments independently and then reviewed them with my supervisor. Now at the end of my placement I feel I am much more responsible with little input from my supervisor on individual experiments, discussions are more focused on general aims and tasks that need to be completed.

I believe that this year was the best thing I could have done for my future career plans. The skills I have learnt will help in my final year at university, both in labs for specific courses as well as my final year project. Additionally I believe that the experience has made me a better candidate for job applications and postgraduate study than those who have not undergone a year in industry.

I worked in an open office with no assigned desk (hot-desking). This meant that you could be next to a new person each day which I think integrated us well into the department. The atmosphere was quite relaxed, people were focussed on their own work but were always approachable when questions were asked.

There are a lot of IP students within my department and many more across the site. Within my department we all attended our first week training together giving us all a similar starting point. The recruitment team organised events for personal development and some to help us socialise.

We received a week of training when we first joined GSK. There were talks and seminars throughout the year as well as developmental workshops we were allowed to attend upon discussion with our supervisors. Staff also invested their time to show us how equipment worked increasing our skills within the lab. My supervisor has also dedicated time to aid with work for university which has been a great help.

There is a programme for graduates within GSK but this is not lab based. (Future Leaders Programme for those that are interested). However I believe having completed this placement year would put me in good stead for applying for a position here later in my career.

The Christmas party and summer boat party were fun to attend. But with over 100 IP students on site I thought there would be more mass organised events. Having said that our department had monthly socials and we also arranged our own meals out and IP Christmas lunch. There is an opportunity to attend a charity day (Orange day) as part of your team and by participating in team sports such as Netball I was able to meet people from different areas of the site.

The cost of living in Stevenage was low (rent c.£300 a month) compared to my rent at uni. In terms of socialising there was not a massive amounts of options. Bar prices were more expensive than I thought but cheaper than those in London. More choice by heading into London (only 25 mins train) but prices increase there.

There was not much going on with only one bar/nightclub. I often went away at weekends and took advantage of being so close to London.

There is little to do in Stevenage except go to the gym/cinema. There is a gym on site which offers a variety of classes. There are also Netball and Football clubs which take place after work.