Procurement Industrial Placement Review

I have enjoyed this work placement, as it has taught me a lot about the corporate life, the function I was working in and also myself. Although very challenging at times the experience has been nothing short of invaluable and I am really thankful to have had the chance to work here.

I felt valued by my colleagues, especially more-so towards the end of my placement. I was praised and thanked where necessary. However, company wide and at all levels everyone is extremely busy so the constant speed and rate that people are working at did sometimes allow for praise to be forgotten.

I was given support and guidance by my manager where and when possible but if this wasn't possible (time was un-permitting/on business trips) I was able to get this guidance from others. From the early talent manager to mentors or other colleagues I was always able to get the support needed.

For the best part of placement I was quite busy, however there were definitely periods whereby I wasn't. These periods were partly seasonal (just after Christmas/summer holidays) so this definitely attributed to the issue. Having said that at times I was forced to look for work elsewhere however this isn't a negative as it meant I got more exposure to the wider business.

I was definitely given a lot of responsibility on placement and this ranged from project managing different tasks, helping to write up contracts, facilitating data gathering and analysis, optimising our portfolios and creating databases. GSK definitely gives you work of high responsibility that actually has meaning and provides usefulness to others.

This placement has set me up really well for the future - both for my final year of studies and for future jobs. I've learnt and solidified my practical understanding of my degree whilst on placement. Furthermore I've gained so many skills that I'll utilise in years to come such as data analysis and stakeholder management.

The atmosphere in my office was typical and generally really nice - everyone got along well and it was a decent environment to be in. During the week it tended to be quite quiet - the best day of the week for atmosphere was definitely Fridays!

My placement wasn't very rigidly structured, it was more of a case of getting a balance between what was available for me to work on and what I wanted to work on. This wasn't good because sometimes it meant that I didn't have enough to do but as aforementioned this meant I could seek out work elsewhere which in one case was one of my highlights of placement.

This is a big strong point of GSK's and compared to what I've heard from other companies GSK is unmatched in this sense. Over the past year I have been to several training workshops, spoke to people who have helped me develop and using the GSK learning tool gained an abundance of knowledge.

GSK have both a graduate scheme and the usual direct entry process that you can re-enter the company with. The graduate scheme is extremely competitive and there are few roles to go for but if successful I've seen it really propel careers. Having said this there are more direct entry roles & I have likewise spoken to people who have really benefitted from this route in.

Yes especially in the summer there was always a trip to the Pub for a drink or various dinners & nights out which varied departmentally. Moreso for those who lived close by was the social scene was much better and more accessible as opposed to those like myself who lived further away.

Being that my office was based in London, the cost of living and socialising unfortunately aligns with that but it is nothing completely out of the ordinary. As a commuter into London this didn't affect me much as I wasn't required to pay rent etc.

The nightlife locally I wouldn't say was amazing as apart from some pubs and restaurants there isnt tons going on around here. However upon travelling further central or into West London (which happened a fair amount) there is definitely much more and a much wider variety of things to do.

Yes there were plenty of opportunities to get involved with outside of work ranging from helping at science and career fairs, career days and joining one of the sports teams. These were all advertised by the committee for placement students so there was definitely a lot to keep your eye out for.