Industrial Placement Review

I very much enjoyed my time here on placement at GSK. I found there were a number of ups and downs throughout the year, mainly based on my developing proficiency in the laboratory and the results from my project, but overall, any of the negatives of the work are overwhelmed by the enjoyment of taking responsibility for my own project, and applying what I have learnt to this.

I was warmly welcomed to my small department, being one of two placement students in the group. I found that I was able to get on well with everyone in my team. We had biweekly group meetings where I was able to inform my team of the work that I had done over the previous week, which allowed me to receive feedback and hear back from my team. Even when things didn't go well, I felt I could relate to my team my issues and receive good feedback for the most part.

I received very good support from my supervisor throughout the year. At the beginning of the year, we had a 1:1 meeting where we set out what we both wanted to achieve from the year, and we have regularly followed these goals to determine whether they have been accomplished or they need adjusting. My supervisor was very helpful in supporting my project, giving me advice and guiding me as to the next steps I should be taking following each experiment. I was given my own space to work freely, and the freedom to set my own pace for this, working on what I saw fit at the time. I was allowed to take ownership of my project, while receiving help when needed.

Due to the nature of laboratory work, there were peaks and troughs in terms of how busy I was throughout the year. However, there was always something to do during the day, whether that was catching up on experiment reports, writing up university coursework, or preparing the next experiments while waiting for reagents to arrive. The work in the laboratory was initially quite intense as I was learning how to carry out experiments to the standard of the group. As I became more proficient, this intensity dropped somewhat, and I was able to manage my time with greater flexibility.

During the first half of the year I worked on a project closely with my supervisor, which meant that I wasn't entirely responsible for the project at this point. However, I took on some of the workload and was accountable for this. In February (placement lasted August 2017- August 2018), I took on my own project, allowing me to have more independence from my supervisor and full responsibility of the work. I presented my work to the project team on numerous occasions, allowing me to share the work that I had carried out.

I greatly developed my laboratory skills, and confidence in working in a laboratory environment during my placement year. This will no doubt be of great help to me when I continue my university degree and go into further education. I also believe I improved my communication skills, becoming more comfortable in describing my thoughts and ideas alongside results that I had produced. Having spoken with professors from university, this is a crucial skill to master, and I believe that my time here has been of great importance in developing this.

I worked in an open plan office, which was quiet for the most part. Any conversations were kept at a low volume, which didn't encourage collaboration within the office itself. The desks were separated with high barriers which allowed for greater concentration for individual work, but, again, discouraged collaboration. Outside the office, there were a number of social areas where proper conversations could be had without disturbing anyone, giving the ability to meet with my supervisor to discuss my work more easily.

The work placement was well organised throughout. I enjoyed carrying out the laboratory work throughout the year, which was set up in such a way to give me the necessary training at the start, the ability to learn about the way experiments are done by working in parallel with my supervisor on a project, and then taking what I had learnt from this to my own project, where I had greater responsibility when I was more prepared for this. I had to work through a fair amount of online training at the very beginning of the placement, however, some of which did not seem entirely necessary. It seemed that the supervisors are given a lot of freedom for how the year is for their student. I was lucky in this regard to have a conscientious supervisor who took time to plan out my year according to my needs.

The beginning of the placement involved a lot of online training, involving basic scientific practice and health and safety policy. This took a number of weeks to complete, and during the remainder of the year, I have regularly been training on other modules which have been relevant for my department. I was well trained in the laboratory, spending the first few months getting to know the high standards required of the laboratory work in the group, which I now feel I am comfortable in achieving in my day to day work. I have been well taken care of in terms of my scientific skills, as well as my overall well-being.

I have witness a great deal of the work that goes on in my department, but I am aware of how we are a small cog in a big machine here at GSK. I would like to return and see more of the company, getting to know the therapeutic areas of the company more closely. I would also be interested in working in my group more, as a year in placement does not seem long enough to fully appreciate the range of work that goes on here.

I have been very thankful for the other placement students here at GSK. There are well over 100 students here, and it was easy to find and develop a close group over the course of the year. There were many events planned for the students, and within the intimate group of us, we had numerous weekends in London together and enjoyed social dinners and other events.

Compared to other parts of the country, Stevenage is relatively expensive, perhaps due to its proximity to London. The area in which I have been living is more pricey than other areas, but due to circumstances around my finding accommodation, this was all that was available. Since we spent a lot of time in London, it wasn't the cheapest of places to be social!

Being a non-university town, there were so many clubs or places to go late at night, save some pub-turned-clubs in the Old Town. Nevertheless, nights out were enjoyable, and there were numerous pubs which we commonly visited. Again, since London was so close, a number of nights out were had in the city, which was easy to get to, and the late trains allowed for a good night to be had without the worry of how to get home.

I think this depends on how much you wanted to get involved. There are a number of sports clubs around Stevenage, and I know people have got involved in running and hockey clubs here. There are welcoming churches in the area which I have been a part of throughout the year, and I have enjoyed doing Parkrun in Fairlands Valley Park on Saturday mornings with other students. I haven't been made aware of many clubs or societies at GSK however, so I think this could potentially be improved.