Capital Procurement Industrial Placement Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at GSK. Learning about the company and being exposed to various areas of the business has been an eye-opening experience. My role has been tailored to what I would like to develop and learn about, all the while meeting the various business requirements. Although some elements of my role were somewhat tedious, you would find that to be the case with any other role or company.

I can honestly say that GSK's values and expectations are recognised as being fundamental to the business. So much so that it is clear the values and expectations transmit through to how work colleagues engage and communicate with one another. Through networking I have been able to build a rapport and maintain professional and personal relationships with many colleagues at GSK. Within my team and department, I have been seen as a valued member due to the hard work and specialist knowledge I have acquired, as it benefits the team massively.

In my first couple of months I was provided with a huge support network. I was assigned a graduate buddy (who had formerly been an IP) to whom I could ask really stupid questions. My manager was very supportive and provided a great deal of guidance, particularly in the first couple of months, where we would have 1-1 meetings every week and frequent catch-up meetings every day. There were instructor-led training workshops which provided more guidance.

The extent to which how busy I was varied from week to week. I would say a typical day would involve me getting in for 8:30 and firstly checking emails and responding to any queries. I would normally have two or three tasks to complete and a meeting in the morning. I would have my lunch hour at 12 in which I would dedicate to networking (and eating!). In the afternoon I would normally look to complete the outstanding tasks and prep for other meetings. At 4:30 I would look to review my day and create a to-do-list for the following day.

The amount of responsibility I was given exceeded my initial expectations. I was given a great deal of autonomy on certain projects and was involved in crucial activities for the team. However, I do feel I have been somewhat sheltered from some levels of seniority within the business, when I feel I could have contributed a great deal.

The technical skills I have developed have little relevance to my degree. For example, I have significantly developed my skills in data analytics. However this has little bearing on my Politics & International Relations degree. Nevertheless, I believe the general skills I have gained (i.e. communication, business acumen, commercial awareness and technical skills) will hold me in good stead for the future, beyond graduation.

Due to the relaxed, friendly culture, the general atmosphere was quite bubbly. Although, due to frequent meetings, supplier calls, and people working from home, the office could be really quiet (particularly on a Friday!). Even though there is a hot-desk policy, some people tend to sit in the same seats and so some areas are known to be more social than others.

Overall, the work placement was not well organised. In my opinion, information provided before starting regarding my role and business area was somewhat inadequate. Although the support network was reasonably well organised, I felt my tasks and responsibilities were extremely vague and no timelines were placed. For some people, not having clear, structured objectives and responsibilities may not impact them massively, but for me this was a major issue.

There were three instructor-led training workshops that were extremely beneficial and showed that GSK wants to invest and offer training and development opportunities to its employees. In addition, there were various seminars and sessions regarding careers advice to which speakers were invited. Furthermore, placement students were required to regularly review objectives and development plans with managers.

In terms of future employment prospects, GSK is considered extremely appealing. This stems from the well-renowned Future Leaders Programme (FLP) - graduate scheme. The opportunities provided and investment shown to its graduates propels those on the FLP to roll off as managers and the aim to be at director level within seven years. Therefore, this demonstrates that reaching senior positions in a relatively short period of time is possible at GSK and is extremely appealing. However, it must be noted that getting on the graduate scheme is very difficult and competitive, even for placement students, as no preferential treatment is shown for my business area. This may not be the case in other departments.

There were a few Placement Student events such as the Placement Christmas Ball and the Summer Boat Party which were really good fun! However, frequent socials amongst the placement students didn't materialise often. There were departmental socials (i.e. Pub Quizzes and rooftop summer socials) which were fun, but all too infrequent.

As a general overview, the cost of living and socialising in and around the location of GSK House (Brentford, London) is considerably cheap when compared to other parts of London, but largely more expensive than most parts of the country.

The nightlife in Brentford is pretty much non-existent, with the exception of pubs and one or two bars. Central London (30 mins by tube) was a much more viable option. And as everyone is probably aware there are many options to choose from in Central London. For nights out with GSK colleagues, venturing out to West and South London was common, as many people lived in areas such as Ealing, Richmond, Putney, Wimbledon, etc. and so they didn't want to go too far into London.

There were many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. For example, in terms of sport, there was the weekly 5-a-side football for the department. Clubs run by GSK employees included touch rugby, tennis and squash. There were many volunteering opportunities such as helping out at a Charity event at the Natural History Museum, or brand ambassadors at universities. However, such opportunities were not explicitly advertised and so it became a lottery as to whether you'd hear about it in time to be able to participate.