Junior Buyer Review

I had two placements in my time at MBDA. I would rate my first placement a 3 out of 10 as I was not given any objectives at the start, my ideas were not listened to and at one point, my colleagues made unprofessional remarks about me and others behind my back. However, I was moved to a different department where I felt valued every second and I learnt so much about what a good team and good manager is, I would give this placement an 8 or 9. I truly feel I added value and value was added to me therefore overall I would give the whole 12month placement a 6.

As above, in the first placement I felt like a burden to some colleagues and I felt that only my mistakes were focused on and not my achievements. In the second placement I was regularly thanked for completing tasks which I would happily have completed anyway and I was given a range of tasks which challenged me and that I was able to prove myself with. My work was regularly used in senior meetings and correspondence in both placements, yet in the second placement I felt valued for it whereas in the first, at times it felt as if someone was passing it off as their own. As a result I have given a very positive answer because of the exceptional way I was valued in my second placement.

My first placement, I was given very little support and guidance by my direct manager and felt at times like I was a burden. However, I have marked this as an 8 because of the support and guidance I was given by my Technical Coordinator and by my second placement managers. My TC was exceptional when I was dealing with moving placements, making me feel comfortable with the situation, diffusing any tensions and offering me regular advice and support whenever I needed it. In my second placement, I was guided through many stages of the Procurement process but was also given responsibility to mark my own path with support if I needed it. This method of management allowed me to learn from my own mistakes without making mistakes so large that they would knock my confidence.

In my first placement there wasn't enough work for me in general. This was not the fault of my manager, the work just did not exist but I would suggest in future, planning the amount of work available may have helped the situation. To make up for this I began working within the same team but for someone else. There was a lot of work however it was inputting information from an online tool into a spread sheet so while there was a lot, I did not feel like I was learning very much. My second placement I was given work from the get go and responsible for managing my own deadlines. I received many varied tasks and was given the freedom to complete them in my own way. I enjoyed being busy and learning a lot but I knew that if it ever got too much I felt comfortable enough to speak to my manager or ask for more time.

In my first placement I was given a reasonable amount of responsibility. I was responsible for collating information from one source into another to be presented in monthly top level meetings. This made me more motivated. In my second placement I was responsible for many tasks that I was completing myself and often given the opportunity to present my work in meetings. I never felt as if this responsibility was too much, always felt like I had support if I needed it and found this a great way to learn.

My degree is not related to my placement so the hard skills are less relevant. However, I learnt greater attention to detail and time management which I will take into my studies. Looking further, both placements taught me the importance of professionalism and a great team. They taught me how to be a valuable member of the team and working with a varied range of management styles I was able to work out the type of manager I would want to be. The hard skills in Procurement and Commercial processes will stay with me for life and I have already been able to apply work on one project to another so I look forward to entering the world of work after University and seeing how I can apply these skills once again.

The office had a good mix of jokes and chat but was not too much to be disruptive. If I was doing a particularly mentally challenging task I was able to put my headphones in to block out any chat however I found I rarely needed to do this. It was nice to have such a relaxed atmosphere as I think it is important to be able to switch off from work, take a break and have a chat before returning.

The overall Undergraduate work placement was very well set up. We had several meetings throughout the year with HR in a comfortable environment where we could raise any issues. We also had a number of introductory meetings at the start of the placement to help us settle in. Additionally, having a Technical Coordinator made organisation even better as we could raise any issues.

There was limited investment but that was to be expected as we were only there for a year. There were many Graduate and Apprenticeship training opportunities which shows what may be on offer if we were to return. There were a number of lunch time learning courses for us to attend where external speakers came into the company to discuss a range of topics such as commercial integrity or negotiation. These were interesting and useful.

I would be very keen to return on the graduate scheme. This year has shown me the excellent opportunities the scheme offers which are not offered in many schemes. I really like the idea of having multiple placements within the grad scheme to learn as much as possible. The company as a whole is very attractive to young people coming in.

With such a large number of younger workers it was relatively easy to make a range of friends with similar interests and stages of life. There were opportunities to socialise in the form of Graduate night outs and sports and social club. I was lucky to live with other Undergraduates, we found the house through an MBDA facebook page.

The cost of living was reasonable although it was possible to get a dodgy landlord or agent and pay more. This can happen anywhere so just important to do research. The cost of socialising was similarly reasonable. It was in no way cheap but for a Southern town not far from London it was certainly manageable on the wage we were earning.

There is a good amount of pubs in a local town, just a 5minute train journey or 15minute taxi away. The one club in Stevenage itself is known for not being very good but drinks there are relatively cheap. Stevenage is so close to London that it is easy to go for an evening out there if need be.

There were a range of sporting opportunities through work. MBDA Hockey team, MBDA football team, Touch rugby, tennis and others. There are also 2 competitions, football and cricket, run within MBDA. Like with any town there are also local sports clubs and activities. London being so close, there is plenty to explore.