project manager Review

My placement at NATS definitely exceeded my expectations. The range of opportunities, training, and exposure to different business areas is second to none. I was definitely able to develop myself massively. The opportunity to move around during my placement and work in different business areas was hugely important and definitely aided by the fact that everyone is more than happy to help.

As mentioned before, everyone is happy to help and each of the managers i worked with, were actively involved in ensuring my voice was heard, that i understood what was going on. They also allowed me to take on my own pieces of work to manage myself, this really helped me to feel valued from the beginning. However, naturally there were a small percentage who clearly preferred the opinion of more experienced individuals.

In both of my roles, my managers went above and beyond to ensure i was familiar and confident with the work. If managers were unable to help, they were happy to refer me to someone who may better be able to help. The early careers team also offered support in how to best fit me in with each of my roles. The buddy system also helps, having someone who has been through a similar process.

The workload much depended on how comfortable i was in my role. If i was feeling more confident e.g. towards the end of the placement, i would be given more work to manage. There was also quieter times however when asking for work, managers were happy to make sure i was busy enough.

Similar with being busy, as i grew into the role, managers would give me more responsibility. Despite this, i also found it good that from day 1 i was given enough responsibility to feel like i was making a difference. As i performed more i was able to take on more responsibility. For example at the end of my first placement i was managing a new change management tool, and at the end of my second placement, i had management responsibilities on three different projects.

The skills i have learned and developed from NATS during my placement year have been invaluable. The year has definitely firmly reinforced my discipline and respect for work, a huge improvement in time management, and a lot better soft skills such as networking and presentation skills. I have already seen this benefit my professional profile as well as how i work at university.

Each team i worked with definitely had a very professional outlook in their roles, which was important coming into the business early and knowing that this is the mindset. The atmosphere is also very friendly, and if there are any issues or concerns, anyone in or out of the team is more than happy to help out.

The placement ran smoothly, managers were given a lot of say over how i worked and where i worked, and this proved to be a very good system and a key aspect that allowed me to work in multiple areas. The opportunity to work in 2 6month placements also was a great opportunity.

One of the best things i would say about my placement year at NATS is the amazing opportunities to train and invest in yourself. The amount of training courses freely available is amazing and something i would definitely recommend doing. Regardless of role, there seems to be a lot available in terms of personal development opportunities

the career progression and people at NATS make it very appealing to apply for a job in the future. Having spoken to a number of people from the business, there are many reasons to return. The training and other benefits that NATS offers to their employees also makes future employment prospects very much appealing.

Naturally there were people who were more sociable, however the large majority of people, myself included, were sociable both in and out of work. There is a large group of early careers so it makes it easy to find someone to do something with, be it have lunch at work or arrange some drinks outside of work. I definitely met some people that i will remain friends with

I lived at home during my placement, so i cannot comment on living costs however, there are a variety of towns and cities nearby. In the whiteley area, it tends to be more expensive than if you were to head into southampton were there are some cheaper bars. Winchester and portsmouth also offer similar.

As i mentioned above, there are several cities nearby, in southampton, portsmouth and winchester, which all offer multiple pubs bars and clubs. Theres always something on so you're never far from a good night. If you're looking more local, theres a good pub thats a 10 minute walk from the NATS offices and some bars in whiteley shopping centre

The early careers members organised several nights out whilst on my placement year. This was a great opportunity to get a large group together outside of work. However there are also opportunities, courtesy of the early careers management to get together out of work e.g. bowling. There is by no means pressure to get involved outside of work, however the more the merrier and everyone seems to get along really well