Production Control and Logistics Placement Student Review

It was a very fruitful year, I managed to gain a real insight into the manufacturing world and in turn have definitely been able to decide if Logistics/Manufacturing is for me. Overall I enjoyed my placement and have taken a lot out of my 12 months here, having met some amazing people

Within my team I felt incredible valued. I solely managed a number of projects which meant the reliance on me, while albeit being a student was encouraging. Amongst those I did not share offices with, but had work related interactions I felt incredibly welcomed and from that they really took on board everything I had to offer and made me 'part of the team' In all, I felt very valued amongst my colleagues.

Upon joining I didn't have the best handover period. This meant that apart from a well written document I didn't have much hands on help. From this my supervisor took it upon himself to help me learn all the parts I fell short on, that I wasn't completely confident with. In addition I worked with a French student after a few weeks. In which we managed to support each other and gained a valuable insight into another countries way of working.

I was, and still am incredibly busy on a daily basis. Even though my manager has taken the deicision to relieve me of one of my tasks I am still busy and finding it very engaging. The benefit is many of the tasks I have, do not have a short/restricted time frame to complete. Therefore I find that I am able to manage my time myself to ensure I am not over stretched. It's helped me improve my time management skills for sure!

In terms of responsibility for placement students. I barely expected any! Instead it was the complete opposite. I was responsible for a series of key tasks, whether that be reporting figures, allowing others to plan. In addition I had to manage packaging, which in fact is a crucial part of the production. As no packaging, means no production. Therefore the need to get this right, and in turn the responsibility was indeed high!

When it comes to my final year at university I will be able to look back on this year with great benefit to my work. Studying in a similar field makes it easily transferrable. Allowing me to use real life examples amongst my work, meaning i'll be able to add real depth to my work. I also gained a real knowledge of manufacturing databases such as SAP which will give me a real boast when applying for graduate jobs. In addition to this I have gained massively in communication skills. Which help and benefit me not just in university, but for graduate roles and beyond.

The atmosphere in my office was good. Being significantly younger than most of my fellow colleagues did make it difficult at times to get chatting. However when things such as the World Cup came around there was a real amount of excitement amongst many people in the office. Especially with it being multi-cultural (5 + nationalities) meaning everyone got involved.

The organization of the overall work placement was brilliant, from introductionary sessions away in a hotel over night, to on the job training and regular reviews it worked very well. It is clear to see this process and placement experience has been refined over many years of it running. With many more beneficial things to come in the future as the UK HR team were very keen to learn everyone's thoughts from the experience in order to continuously improve the experience for future students.

The company invested an awful lot of time and effort in development. In terms of the personal training this is something that has come hand in hand with working daily, in comparison to the way of life I got from university. Which in turn will help me when I go back to university as my time management/ thought process has improved.

Very, having worked as a student for the past 12 months I have gained a real insight into what it requires to work for Faurecia and what it's all about. I would for sure consider working for Faurecia. The reason it hasn't got 10 is because I haven't been offered a job as yet, although I'm sure that will change.

As students we got on really well, we regularly have lunch together and have various conversations over social media. With a final celebratory night out planned I feel there has been a brilliant social scene and feeling amongst my fellow students. Unfortunately because of the distance I travel I haven't experienced a social scene particularly with full time staff, even though the offer is always there.

Unfortunately I didn't live in the same area I worked. Meaning I'm unable to comment on the cost of living and socializing. Although I know the students that do have found it very accommodating and have not had to pay over the odds. I however found the (up to) 100 mile commute daily more beneficial on the bank balance

Because of where my placement was located I found that it was a suitable distance to commute to work from home. Therefore only on one occasion did I manage to go to the pub with fellow placement students. So unfortunately I am unable to comment. Although I've heard it's good!

Unfortunately apart from the charity challenge we undertook, we didn't have many opportunities to do plant let activities outside of work. SO it meant that I spent most of my evenings at home doing activities with those who lived closer to me. This is something that could improve for sure.