Year in Industry Student - Global Regulatory Affairs Review

The first couple of months were challenging as there was a lot of new information to learn and people to meet. Once I fully understood my role and got to know my team better I absolutely loved my placement and was truly gutted when it had to come to an end. As well as enjoying the placement in terms of developing my technical skills, I also found that I gained a lot of personal confidence. The social aspect of the placement was also very enjoyable and the RB office was a fun environment (pre-corona virus!).

I never felt like I was viewed as the "student," however it did take some time to fit in at first as they were a very close group, but by the end of the year I felt extremely valued and continue to remain in contact with my team. They always treated and respected me as much as a full time member of staff both in terms of the work they were assigning me and socially.

Further guidance during my first month of work would have been appreciated as this was a completely new field of work for me. Although the lack of initial training was challenging, this did force me to learn things for myself, which did have its benefits and increased my independent learning skills. Although students go to training sessions with the full time members of staff throughout the year, there does seem to be a lack of solid training at RB in general, for both full time staff and students. The lack of training was probably the weakest aspect of my placement.

The first 6 weeks were very quiet, but after that initial period work picked up very quickly as responsibility and trust increased. Work did fluctuate considerably over the year; some days you'd end up working until 6/7pm and others you could comfortably log off at 4pm. This inconsistency was part of the role though and it is not just the students that see these fluctuations. Overall, I was very busy and it was rare for me to have nothing to do.

There was lots of responsibility from the very start, perhaps more than I anticipated, and this continued to increase throughout the year. As my confidence increased, I loved having the additional responsibility, even if it did generate some extra stress! Although many of my tasks were admin related more than technical, these were still fundamental aspects of the role and invaluable to the team, and it was rewarding to see how my work was helping the business. However, I do wish I had been given the opportuninty to work on more projects rather than small technical tasks.

I developed extremely valuable skills during my placement that will be beneficial as I finish off my degree and as I look for future employment. These include: - Problem solving & data analysis - much of my placement was spent analysing formulations and identifying problems. These skills will support my in my BSc Research Project - Communication - presenting in meetings and writing documentation were a key aspect of the role. I can now confidently give presentations and write concisely, both of which are beneficial for my Research Project - Time managment - this was required throughout the placement and will be useful for all aspects of my degree and future emplyoment

The offices were very professional but fun (when it was appropriate). Although the desk areas were quiet, there were plenty of kitchen areas where staff were encouraged to relax, chat and have a cup of tea. The new offices also have a games room which you can visit to take a break from work. The overall vibe was that it was important to be quiet and respect those working around you, but it is good to have a balance between working and taking breaks.

This was set up very well. We were assigned our line managers well in advance of the placement starting and were encouraged to get into contact with HR with any queries, big or small. The HR team also ran workshops throughout the year with a focus on providing additional skills to students that will benefit them in the future. Objectives were set early on in the placement and were reviewed half-way through the year and at the end - it was rewarding meeting these and provided a structured way to measure our personal development.

As mentioned above, we were provided the same training as permanent members of staff and offered additional training by HR to develop skills beyond the technical aspects of our roles (e.g. LinkedIn workshops, CV workshops, emotional intelligence workshops). Additional training would have been massively beneficial, but as mentioned previously, the lack of training did appear to be an overall company issue rather than just a student issue. Besides technical training, the teams spent a lot of time trying to incorporate the students into their teams.

RB does not offer much incentive for placement students to come back after graduating - they offer an FLP Graduate Scheme with very limited places, which appears to entice graduates with a very certain leadership skill set, but are not clear and open as to how students who do not want to apply for that scheme can get back into the company. This is a shame as it encourages us to look elsewhere to companies that have clearly advertised graduate entry jobs (not schemes). It is also not clear what level and pay a graduate would come back on if they do not go via the scheme.

There were about 26 placement students and we had a fantastic year socially. The YII Committee organised events including ice skating and meals out regularly. The placement students also worked together on the Charity Committee which included running pub quizzes and other social events which we enjoyed running/attending in addition to raising lots of money for charity. Within my team, we also had a really good social scene, regularly going for meals and evening events.

Hull was very cheap to live in. The rent, pubs, restaurants and clubs were all very cheap, allowing plenty of saving during the year. In terms of saving money, Hull is good location.

Hull is not known for having the best nightlife. We did enjoy many nights out but the clubs were limited, small and often quiet. Despite this, they were very cheap. As the year went on, we found that visiting the independent pubs and bars was more enjoyable as these often had more atmosphere than the clubs!

Yes in terms of placement students, as we met up regularly to visit pubs and clubs. Not so much in terrms of when we were at RB. We did do one charity day out as a team, and had meals together, but corona virus did limit the options we had in the second half of the placement (i.e. the annual conference was cancelled and the summer ball).