This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
One of the best years of my life. Developed me technically as well as personally through development days ran specifically from the IP programme and training days for SAS down in Manchester, which was a great way to learn in a class environment, however, the majority of training was partaken on the job due to the specifics behind the data which was used. Treated as a normal employee and not seen as a student which is exactly what you want.
Was treated like every other employee and was valued just like every other employee which means a lot. Even though you may be within that team for a year they care about your development and will check up on you lioke they would for anyone else. Regular meetings with managers and the IP scheme aswell as exposure to senior colleagues shows that you are seen as more than an expense which shows you are valued.
Was given all the support I needed, was never told no when asked for help. Manager was always there to help and if he was busy would always make sure I was pointed in the correct direction, could not have asked to be apart of a better team
Was kept very occupied on a daily basis as was treated just like any other employee and did the same job as due to the environment worked in, there is not time for people to be carried by others and not participating to the team goals. However, this did not mean there was no time to work on your own personal developemnt, this is always priotised and adequate support is available if needed at any time.
I was given plenty of responsibility to talk to stakeholders and direct projects in the way I wanted, which allowed me to build up my network and build good working relationships. However, this was down to me proving that I could be trusted due to the work I was doing in the early stages. This meant that when COVID-10 began to impact businesses I was able to get involved with some big projects with real impacts.
Massively. Not only will the technical skills developed in languages such as python and SQL help me in my projects at university but having experience in new software such as QLIK and Alteryx will set me ahead of people who did not do a placement year. The soft skills which were developed during development days have enabled me to personally develop which has helped me massively in social interactions allowing me to enjoy the full effect of my final year
The Company
I expected the culture/general atmosphere to be very serious and hard-working, but it turned out to be hardworking AND really friendly. This allowed everyone to bring their full selves to work each day, which created a great atmosphere where everyone was able to get on and be productive, with no hostility around. This has set the bar extremely high for any future employers I may come across, as I really thrived within this type of environment
As this was the first year the placement scheme had been set up, a lot of missteps were expected. However, the placement team continually seeked feedback which allowed us students to determine the footsteps of the scheme which allowed us to have a real impact which allowed the scheme to progressively improve as it went on. Massive shout out to HSBC for being transparent with feedback received and steps they were taking to improve it.
Massively. By sending me to manchester for courses led by SAS a total of 5 times which made sure I was very competent in the program. The IP development days which were ran by an external company called the method, which I thought was amazing and I really embraced the full impact of the day. Ultimately for any training I wanted to do I was never told no, as they invested in a course for me to learn python
Flexi Time
Financial Bonus
Company Parties/Events
Above 25 days holiday
Working from home
Future prospects are appealling if you are willing to generalise, however if you want to specalise more this can be more difficult however is very much so possible but the process may not be a straight forward
The Culture
100%, social events were organised between teams very often where you can go outside of work after work hours or at lunch time to catch up with colleagues, however, these are not mandatory so are totally dependent on whether you want to do this or not. Placement students were a very close knitted group, so you could make the most out of this - especially good for those who did not live in Birmingham or surrounding areas.
I lived in the local area anyways so this doesn't really apply to me as I was use to it
I lived in the local area anyways so this doesn't really apply to me as I was use to it. It was nothing new, but birmingham is known for a good night out as people constantly come down for events such as New years eve. I would personally recommend arcadian if you want a better night and actually want to dress up, the only downside to this is that it is more expensive than if you go broad street
There is 100% opportunities however I did not get involved with any of these, due to other commitments.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
West Midlands
October 2020