Project management intern Review

I have enjoyed my placement greatly as i have been given a large responsibility which i did not expect. Would have been higher but the first couple of months were very slow due to not having access to anything. I have enjoyed working on an intern project as it gives me the chance to see how other interns are finding the placement too.

I feel extremely valued as i have been given work to do that they do not know how to do themselves. This means that when i return from holiday i feel truly valued as someone that is needed for the team to succeed. I have been told through feedback that i am a core part of the team.

I was given great support from my supervisors who have helped me with any problems i have had. However i have little to no contact with my manager which is disappointing as he has one to ones with all his other employees. This direct contact would be useful as it would allow me to express any issues to someone who could actually help.

I have a large range of work within my week. Some days i am completely maxed out with work, whereas others i am struggling to find something to do. i would say i am busy 80% of the time and the other i have to find something not as useful to do.

I am responsible for a lot on my placement, i am responsible for forecasting, scheduling and making sure control account managers are doing the work they are supposed to. I run meetings with high level managers and give Project management office recommendations to them based on my knowledge in the area.

The main skill i will take further onto my studies is the routine i have gained from waking up early and being productive for 8 hours a day. I think the skills are more useful beyond university as they are work related. I am hoping to continue onto a gradate scheme so the skills i have gained will prepare me for this next step.

GE operates with an open office environment on my site. This means you are in pens of 4 desks which can be good for collaborative work but very loud when you are having to concentrate on something. The atmosphere is generally busy and rushed due to a lot of people walking around the building

the Placement is very well set up due it being run for many years previously. The initial first months of the placement was poorly organised as my manager was changed just before starting and the new one didnt actually know what job he wanted me to do. However now i am deeper into the year it is more more organised.

In terms of training i am not heavily invested in, i have only received the basic training that all employees receive. I have developed well personally due to learning new skills in excel and forecasting software which the company uses. I am pleased with the training i have received but would have liked more.

There is no prospect of getting a job straight out of the placement, however doing a placement gives you a head start when applying to the GE graduate schemes. The company is very appealing as a future place to work due to their being so many opportunities available to me

there is around 60 other interns on my site so the social scene between other students on the placements is very good. Several site visits to other aspects of the business have been set up allowing us to meet interns from other areas of the business and see what someone else doing our job but in another areas does differently.

Cheltenham is a reasonably expensive area to live in, especially as i am renting a studio flat. Shared housing is cheaper but still not super cheap. The salary you are given is sufficient however to afford these living costs so the expensive area should not put anyone off from working at GE.

There is a university campus within cheltenham so there is a lot of students in the local area. However there is only a handful of places to go out meaning you get bored of going to the same places over and over and over again. But there is a lot of wetherspoons and local pubs around.

The company offers several sports clubs to get involved in such as football, netball, running and triathlon clubs. Cheltenham also is great for going to watch horse racing due to the gold cup being held here and other large meetings. due to GE being so close to the racetrack you feel very involved with the events.