Junior Quantity Surveyor Review

I have found the industrial placement to be extremely enjoyable primarily down to the vast range of things you get up to, including things such as visiting sites, volunteering, training events and working with your team to perform well. National Grid provides endless opportunities for individuals to grow and take on challenges which in itself is an enjoyment.

Everyone within National Grid has mutual respect for one another and will always offer help to anyone struggling. As an employee I have felt as part of team by regularly attending team hub meetings and having consistent 1-2-1s with colleagues and my line manager which shows that there is general interested in how you are getting on. Also, when out on site visits, people are always intrigued in how you are and what you have been up to and are always up for a chat.

During my placement I was closely working alongside my manager who was regularly checking if I was okay and if I required additional work. As well as that, if I ever had any questions in regard to the documents I was reviewing or any technical advice from things I had seen on site, my manager would always provide information or direct me in the right direction to obtain the information.

As a result of effective planning and organizing alongside my manager, I was never struggling in trying to find things to do. Every day I had pieces of work to carry out or had to travel to site and if I ever required additional work, I could always ask people working on the project if they needed any help. Overtime, the workload progressed which meant time management had to be efficient but that meant there was always things to be completed.

Personally, I was given quite a bit of responsibility as I had to work with commercially sensitive documents which were not allowed to be distributed. Also, I was provided with the task to track commercial actions and chasing individuals to make sure items were not going overdue. Additional to that, I had to deal with large sums of money and scrutinize costs which meant I had a fair amount of responsibility given my position.

All training events I attended as part of my Placement were beneficial and will provide skills which not only benefit me in a professional environment but also have enlightened me with ways I can improve and develop outside of the working environment. Almost all the skills I have obtained are applicable to my career and degree studies, like being able to plan and organize to ensure workload is maintained and deadlines are met.

The office was always filled with individuals who checked up on how you were doing but did not cross the line where it became patronizing. There was always adequate DSE to ensure safety of everyone working in the office was maintained. The atmosphere itself was always light and never too overbearing which was nice. In conjunction to that point, the office did not have any individuals who made my time in the office uncomfortable or difficult.

The Industrial Placement scheme at National Grid showed professional organization throughout. The training academy fitted in excellently with the programme and provided sufficient induction information around the role and environments before getting stuck in to the work. Additional to that, the scheme was well formatted with regular reviews which provided feedback on your performance and how you can improve.

The company invested a lot of time and money into personal development by providing us with the opportunity to attend a wide range of training events from excel courses to presentation courses. All of the training and development courses provided at the NG training academy were found to be beneficial and ultimately provided an safe environment were mistakes can be made and development of yourself can progress.

The future employment prospects within this organization are really appealing. National Grid provide constant progression within the company as demonstrated by previous graduates reaching high levels within the organization. As well as that, the organization allow for lots of flexibility in regards to changes roles and working hours and therefore does not make individuals feel restricted.

During my placement, there was a really good social scene amongst fellow placement students as we all got along and were down to earth. As for the other colleagues, they were all very welcoming to new starters and were eager to provide help and information in regards to either the role or about the organization itself which meant the barriers were broken down from the offset and everyone got on.

The office I was situated in was located very nearby which meant that I could live from home which saved me a lot of money on accommodation costs. As well as that, because I knew the area, I knew where the best places were to socialize so the cost was not excessive.

The nightlife in the area I worked was extremely familiar to me as it was were I had grown up and therefore was good because I knew all the locations. As well as that, the place where I was situated had links to larger cities which gave the opportunity to choose between various good places.

There are team away days as part of National Grid, where the team organizes an event giving people the opportunity to have an increased chance of getting to know each other. The activities provided are a way to develop as a team and make people feel more comfortable with the people that surround them on a day-to-day basis.