Placement Trainee (Project Managment) Review

It was great, learnt a lot and met like minded colleagues who were very helpful, and gave me some suitable work to get on with. Had a mid and end of placement review, providing good feedback which I feel I can really learn from and grow a strong, happy career.

My colleagues were very supporting and showed genuine care towards me and the work I had been given to do. Although I did not always see the final result of the work I did, I knew that it was being used and that the work I was doing was appreciated.

My line manager was great. Very supportive and easy to get on with. If I had any questions or needed clarification on the work I was doing, the feedback given was useful and easy to understand. However there were a couple of timed, due to how busy my manager was, where I did not always see him as much as I would have wanted.

Work flow was overall pretty good. there were a couple of points where I finished all of my work, but I usually had a good source of work to tap into and colleagues who would give me tasks to do when I requested more work. The majority of my work came from running trackers, however I had sufficient variation in work to keep it interesting.

I feel that the responsibilities I was given for the role I had at Mace was about right. The responsibilities I were given grew as my placement got in to its later weeks to a point where I was given, what I feel to be, a good level of responsibility, and felt comfortable working with it.

I developed many skills, the most important of which I feel to be my development and integration into a professional working environment. The training I received was sufficient for the time I was at mace, however I did not feel that I used the knowledge that I gained from doing my degree sufficiently, and will most likely consider a more technical role in the future.

Great inclusive atmosphere. Very friendly colleagues, who would always help out when asked and provide a greater insight into the job I was doing. Everyone worked well together and respected each other in the working environment and created a good, and comfortable environment to work in. The work got done, and enjoyed it on the way.

The placement was fairly well organized. I had a company induction and end of placement event, as well as long term goals set at the start of my placement. Half way through I had my 5 week review and later my final placement review. The only fault I would have is that due to the project I was working on there wasn't always work available that I could contribute to.

Mace provided me with Mace Learning Zone, an online training service where I could study various courses and develop aspects of my knowledge. On top of this I was offered to join training sessions and attended an undergraduate assessment center, which I feel helped me to recognize areas where I could improve the way I work.

Upon completion of my placement, my line manager signed my new starter form and recommended that I should position within the company should I want one. I was however recommended that if I were to join, I should take on a more technical role rather than a project management role.

Yes! I was invited out numerous times for drinks and other outside of work events, such as rock climbing. My colleagues were very friendly and I did not feel at all left out or isolated from the group. The only issue was the time I spent travelling to and from work did not always allow me to take all of these opportunities.

I was working at East India Dock, London for my placement. The cost of living and going out was considerably high because of this. For my placement I decided to commute from home, which again was a considerable cost, however I was offered many socializing opportunities by my colleagues, though my commute time did not make socializing practical.

Nightlife was good. A lot of people in London so there was never a dull moment, although everywhere was quite full and the food and drinks were both more expensive than what I was used to. My colleagues invited me out numerous times, but my commute did not always make these possible.

Mace provided an opportunity to give back to the community in the form of volunteer days, these may include working at a food bank for a gay, or organizing various events that provide a positive effect on the community. On top of this my work colleagues gave me many socializing opportunities, although my commute did not always make it possible to attend some of these.