Learning and Development placement student Review

Overall I really enjoyed my time working for Newcastle Building Society. I was involved in a wide range of activities and projects that were both exciting and engaging. Everyone I met was lovely and listened to my ideas which made me feel valued by the company and not just ‘another placement student’. A placement at Newcastle Building Society has helped me put theory into practice, and has also helped me shape my future career goals.

A really fantastic company to work for! The society places so much value on their employees therefore everyone is happy to work and support each other. I was made to feel welcome from day one by the lovely L&D team, who always listened to my ideas or suggestions. I really liked the fact I had a manager, a mentor and a buddy from different parts of the society showing that Newcastle Building Society valued me as a placement student by ensuring I had the support I needed.

I feel like I was very well supported by management. On day one I sat down with my manager who had constructed a schedule for my first few weeks at Newcastle Building Society, this was really useful as it gave me chance to meet everyone in my team as well as get up to speed with the functions of my role. I had weekly meetings with my manager however if I needed to discuss anything, all the managers I worked with were friendly and approachable making the effort to schedule a meeting as soon as possible. I also liked the fact that the L&D team were all working from the same desks, this meant I had access to any colleague in our department, even the Head of People Development and Business Partners.

When I first started, I only had a few tasks to complete which was understandable as I was just settling into the role. However I made my manager aware I had finished and she soon gave me more responsibilities and deadlines to ensure that my workload was balanced. Some tasks I had to complete basic tasks on a daily/weekly basis however most of the time I had a main ‘project’ on therefore this kept me busy for the rest of my day.

I feel I was given a lot of responsibility from my placement, in the first month I was accountable for a society-wide event with duties such as making over 1000 bookings for colleagues and communicating with external businesses on behalf of the society. Following on from this, I worked on The Prince’s Trust fortnight (a highlight of my placement!) and was given responsibility to plan and deliver an open day for young individuals to see how Newcastle Building Society operates.

I think I have developed my core admin skills such as planning/organisation/communication which will be useful on my return to University as it will ensure I stay organised and hand high quality work in on time. I also feel I have learnt some skills that will be useful after University in the way of coaching/talent management. I have really taken an interest in this specific part of my placement therefore it will allow me to focus my future towards this element.

The L&D office was fantastic! We have a beautiful building at Cobalt which overlooks the pond which is lovely. There are also a team of 10 who sit at the main L&D desk which is great as you can see and interact with everyone without having to shout. Every person I have worked with in L&D is fabulous - nothing is ever too much trouble and the general atmosphere is ‘we all help each other’. There is a perfect mix of office and leisure chat too - meaning the office is a fun environment to work in without feeling like a high pressure environment.

Again, really great. Before I started placement I had the opportunity to meet the previous student and the team I would be working with. This was useful as I felt it ‘broke the ice’ with my team and was one less thing to worry about on the day I started placement. I was also in regular contact with my manager and the previous placement student before the start of my placement meaning any queries I had were quickly answered.

I feel Newcastle Building Society throughly invested in me. I had a meeting with my manager and the early talent manager to discuss what I was looking to get out of my placement year - what I wanted to do. This was really useful as it enabled me to shape my placement year to my interests rather than being given a generic placement role. I also had the opportunity to attend a few training courses hosted by others in the L&D team therefore further developing me professionally.

I had discussed the possibility of staying before Covid, of which my manager was going to enquire about. However at the moment, Newcastle Building Society aren’t keeping placement students on however I know quite a few people in the business who started out as placement students to be still working there 10+ years later! I was assured that I can still keep in touch with my manager and to keep an eye on the careers page for anything that appealed to me.

I was part of the Early Talent group which is a mix of apprentices/placement/graduate students. At the start of my placement there was a freshers week whereby students undertook team building activities and there was also a social at the end of the week (unfortunately I was ill so can’t comment on the specifics however I have heard from others it was really worthwhile!). We were also split into teams and given a business challenge to work on throughout the year which will be presented to the Executives. This enabled me to form a strong bond with some of my Early Talent colleagues which was great.

The placement was in Newcastle (which I had lived in for the past 2 years). I lived in student accommodation therefore the costs of living were what I had been used to. Living in student accommodation meant I could still socialise with those at Uni, as there were regular quizzes and socials happening in the social area of my accommodation. The accommodation was also near the bus stop which took me directly up to Cobalt therefore transport costs were also low.

Newcastle has many clubs and pubs! I didn’t party as much as I did in first and second year however all the clubs are open on a weekend therefore there was the opportunity to go out. The costs of nightlife are relatively cheap compared to other areas where there are that many pubs/clubs. The town centre was only a 15 min walk from my accommodation however there is also the metro/Uber if you needed them.

There were a few events that were posted to both the HR and L&D teams such as charity walks. There is also the Xmas party where both teams can come together to socialise. I would have liked to have done more things with the L&D team such as a team building activity or going out for a meal as this would give the placement student the opportunity to form stronger friendship bonds and enjoy something together outside of work.