Continuous Improvement Analyst Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my work placement! I felt the collaborative, supportive work environment was perfect for me and helped me to achieve my goals. Coming onto the scheme with over 50 IPs and Grads gave me a group of friends that made my year an unforgettable experience.

I never felt like an Industrial Placement Student; I was a member of the team. I was given so much responsibility from the start and my opinions and ideas were valued by my team mates. Not only did I feel valued by my colleagues professionally, but also as a friend.

My team were very supportive, both personally and with my day-to-day tasks and projects. I felt I needed a little more support with running my projects at the start, but soon found the level of guidance allowed me to push myself while I knew support was there when I needed it.

I found I could be as busy as I wanted to be, I never felt overwhelmed with work as I could always talk to my manager and get the right balance. Nationwide are very flexible, so when you have lots of deliverables you might choose to work slightly longer hours, and other times slightly shorter hours or could focus on your out of role development.

As a project manager in recruitment, I was given more responsibility that I expected from the get go. My projects made a real impact on the business and candidate experience. I found my colleagues trusted me to deliver and supported me to produce my best work.

I feel that I have developed my time management, organisational and prioritisation skills; this will assist my studies and give me time back to focus on other areas of development. I am more keen to present and networking doesn't seem so daunting thanks to the Emerging Talent development activities.

The office always has a buzz about it, especially on a Friday. We were never quiet and everyone knew how important it was to take some time out of work to catch up with colleagues and joke about with each other at the desk. We could always come to each other in person with questions.

Every 1:1 with my manager was focused on what I could get out of my placement. The business sent me on a full day excel macro course that I requested to go on. The Emerging Talent development opportunities (e.g. mindset and attitude course, influencing course, business challenges, presentations etc.) were solely focussed on developing us.

The Emerging Talent cohort become like your family, I spent every day with other IPs and Grads outside of work; living with them and socialising with them. Swindon nightlife is fairly limited, but there are enough bars in old town to keep you entertained.

Rent is fairly cheap. I've found that as an IP spending my time with graduates, it's difficult to budget as a student. We often go out for drinks and dinners, especially with work events or leaving dos.

There are a few bars in Swindon that we tend to go to. There is one club in old town open on a Friday night. You can venture out into new town which has more to offer with a 5 minute taxi.

It depends what you want to do, I got involved in Nationwide Choir and played tennis at the free sports facilities most weeks. My friends played football through work a lot, and a rugby club outside of work.