Industrial Placement Review

Overall I had an enjoyable year at GSK. I had a lot of development opportunities both in terms of technical skills and soft skills e.g. time management, networking etc. My team were friendly, helpful and valued my contributions. There were around 20 students at my site so we had a number of social events during the year as well.

I worked in quite a small team (there were only four of us) and I definitely felt valued. As a student some of the less interesting admin type pieces of work fell to me but generally the projects I worked on were important to the team and I felt my efforts were appreciated.

Before I completed support activities for the first time a member of the team would demonstrate the process to me so I knew what to do. When I had queries I was able to ask or email colleagues for help and I generally received prompt and helpful answers. I also had a monthly one to one with my manager where I was able to raise any issues.

I usually had enough work to keep me going and I was always given enough time to complete my work. Although there were times when I was less busy I was able to use the time for less urgent tasks or training. When I asked for more work I would be given something to do quite quickly.

I started off working on smaller projects and with more supervision but the amount of responsibility I was given increased throughout the year as I developed my skills. My work was always checked in line with our team's procedures but I worked quite independently on my main project in the second half of the year.

I completed online job specific learning which while useful for this role, may not be as helpful in the future depending on what I end up doing. But I think the general experience of working in industry will give me an advantage when I look for a graduate job. I also had the opportunity to attend development sessions during the year on topics such as CV writing, team building and time management. I think these skills will be very useful as I complete my degree and later in my career.

Our office was generally quite quiet but this suited me because I found it easy to concentrate and get on with my work. Everyone was very friendly though and most of my team sit near each other so I was able to approach them whenever I had a question or problem.

There were some moments of confusion around which GSK benefits are available to IP students. I would have appreciated clearer advice from SRG at the outset about certain processes e.g. obtaining a free eye test. My manager accidentally gave me the wrong advice which meant I was unable to reclaim the cost of the test. However my team is used to having IP students and in terms of ensuring my university requirements were met my manager was very helpful.

I spent several weeks at the beginning of my placement completing mandatory GSK training, reading standard operating procedures and learning about the technologies I would use in my role. I was given time throughout the year to attend development courses which were put on for students and to complete progress reports requested by my university.

My team is very small so there are unlikely to be opportunities to return to the same department. However GSK has a graduate tech programme which I may apply to and I would be interested in similar direct entry graduate roles. I would be less likely to return if the position was for a contract worker rather than a permanent GSK employee because of the number of benefits which contractors aren't eligible for.

I didn't socialise with my team very often because we took lunch at different times on most days and also we didn't have very much in common (they were a lot older). But we did have a team lunch once a month and I got on well with all of them. I usually ate lunch with the other students and we would often meet at the pub after work. There were around 20 students at my site and 20 at the other site in Ware so we could get a good size group together.

I shared a flat in Ware with one other student and we paid £450 each a month in rent. It's not the cheapest area to live in but I was able to afford rent, bills etc. and to save a small amount for my final year. There isn't loads to do in Ware but there are various pubs and restaurants some of which are quite reasonable.

There weren't any clubs in Ware so you would need to get the train to Hertford or elsewhere to go clubbing. There are several pubs though and we would often meet after work for a few drinks and sometimes we would go out afterwards. There is a social club on site as well although you do need to be a member to go in.

There were lots of charitable activities taking place at our site and the students are often asked to get involved and help out. Similarly there is the opportunity to be a STEM ambassador and represent GSK at The Big Bang Fair. Also the social club on site provides access to various activities and sports.