Industrial Placement Student Review

Enjoyed being able to independently handle a project from the sketch until the final presentation to the key stakeholders. And, it was really great to have high level of freedom in expressing own opinion and interests on the projects. The environment and culture of the organisation are very uplifting. Even when the task on hand is difficult, I'd feel stretched in a good way (instead of passively 'stressed').

In certain project teams with a more systematic process flow and/or supportive project leader, I get recognition and affirmation for almost every piece of work I have completed, no matter how small the task is. From time to time, I received constructive feedbacks on how to further improve the work as well. However, there were times I feel some staffs are reluctant to assign important tasks to IPs, possibly due to lack of trust and understanding on IPs' capability.

The organisation is good in cultivating a coaching culture where some experienced leaders can become a coach for other staffs (e.g. an employee from another business unit), and I am great benefited by this culture. Some project supervisors are intrinsically motivated to provide guidance, not only on the task on hand, but also on greater aspect of life such as the future career trend.

Fairly depends on the project timeline and the amount of works at a time - In some intensive event weeks I had to work for much longer hours, but during some days that sandwiched between projects I can be quite free. During the relatively free days I can take part in the wide variety of development programmes, events, and online learning opportunities at GSK. In general, there are extremely busy days with longer hours, but IPs are always encouraged to express any concerns to the relevant project lead.

This depends on the level of trust and teamwork of the project team I work with, as I always work with more than 1 team at a time. I found that some teams let me manage the entire project from the sketch to the end, even including doing the presentation for the key stakeholders. For some other project teams, I was only assigned with the basic administrative tasks and logistic arrangements. Anyway, I always have the option to arrange a conversation with the project leads to improve the workload.

I think this industrial placement is like a solid ‘bridge’ to build and maintain the connections in between my academic knowledge, skill sets from past experience, professional networks and future career path. One of the most important things I learnt from this placement is the way of a multinational organisation operates, and how the distinctive people and technology capacities cooperate with each other in a sustainable and flexible way. These kinds of skills can only be learnt from actual work experience.

Very uplifting and dynamic. The office is always in hot-desking mode (I can choose different workspace everyday within the business unit and talk to different people), and people are always open for conversations. One thing that particularly surprised me in a good way is, introverts like me would still feel comfortable as there are also quiet spaces everywhere in the office.

In general, the work placement is quite organised, thanks to the sophisticated compliance process. However, I think the line management system could be improved. My line manager is awesome but is not directly related to the teams I work with. At times, this has led to the lack of others’ visibility and understanding on my actual workload and achievement.

There were not much training provided for IPs in the beginning of placement, most of my job knowledge came from the handover of the previous IP and 'learning through working'. Nonetheless, development opportunities through events and online learning portal were offered to GSK staffs regularly, and I can request to shadow other's work (within the same business unit). Some project leads have great level of coaching skills and passion in mentoring, and I can always learn from them.

Pathways to the graduate scheme are well explained to IPs from time to time during the placements. Updated resources are always available online. There are several options for future employment within the organisation to cater different needs and interests, such as rotation of roles within a business unit, the option to apply for an entry role instead of graduate scheme, etc.

There are many opportunities to take part in volunteering, event facilitation, site tours, talks, sports, and so on. Online learning resources are also provided.