OUTBOUND LOGISTICS PLACEMENT Review

Overall, I enjoyed my placement thoroughly initially I felt daunted when starting my placement however, the support I received from my mentor made me feel more comfortable and as time progressed I gained confidence in my role. As well as this, everyone in the office was so friendly and supportive, this motivated me each day going into the role.

I felt valued every day in my role, as I was given personal responsibilities which challenged me. Moreover, everybody in my office was friendly and would go out of their way to help me with any issues I wasn't able to / felt uncomfortable addressing my mentor with.

I was allocated a team mentor and a personal mentor (who was a member of another department). My team mentor helped me every day with my personal job role, she supported me with the IT skills I initially lacked and was always there for any issues I had. My personal mentor was always supportive, arranging meetings to ensure I was comfortable in my team and again was always there if I had any issues in my team or personally.

Initially, in the role during my training phase, I found the workload a bit slow. However, this gradually changed and as my training progressed I was delegated more responsibility. As I was delegated more responsibility, my confidence gradually grew and I began taking on more tasks independently without the need for support. At any time of the day for any issues I had however, my mentor would support me. Towards the final months of my placement, I solely managed my workload and time to ensure all tasks were completed to the deadlines applicable.

As stated above as my placement progressed so did my responsibility and by the end of my training, I was tackling tasks independently. In the job role, I had responsibilities to support the team also, personal responsibilities I was accountable for. This balance helped me to understand the logistics process as a whole and provided me with a much greater understanding of how different departments work together to ultimately deliver the final vehicle (whilst working in a logistics role).

Overall, from the placement, I feel the skills I developed at Nissan are crucial going into my final year of studies. Time management is a skill I struggled with initially, however by the end of my placement I was not only fulfilling my personal responsibilities but in fact, played a more supportive role to my team and any issues they wanted help with. Moreover, developing a professional attitude and also gaining an insight into the recruitment process, something I see as invaluable now that I am applying for graduate positions.

The atmosphere in the office was professional there was a strong team spirit within the office to work together towards our shared goals. However, the office was also friendly you were greeted every morning by people saying "hello" and always felt comfortable to speak to your colleagues if you had free time (particularly on Friday's).

For myself, my mentor provided a clear structure to the placement, setting out initially a 6-week training programme to get me up to speed on the operational side. Also, incorporating in training outside of my role to give me a deeper understanding of Nissan, I worked on the manufacturing line for a day and also spent a day shadowing the staff at the Port Of Tyne. My mentor also made it clear to stay calm and to ensure i was not overwhelmed, as initially in the placement there was a lot of terminologies i did not understand. However, after a few months, I felt comfortable enough to challenge other departments in meetings.

Overall, I would say that the training for the job role I received provided me with transferable and practical skills which I see as crucial moving into final year and upon graduation,

I do not see myself applying for any role as a graduate however, this is nothing to with the company or my placement experience. This decision is due to personal reasons and also wanting to explore other opportunities.

The social side I found a bit disappointing we were provided with 2 placement events for students one at Lane 7 and the last was due to take place at the end of the placement but was cancelled due to Covid-19. However, I set up a weekly 5 a side football team with some of the placement students from across multiple departments, this was very enjoyable. I would also recommend it as a great way to make friendships with fellow placement students and to meet people outside your own office.

I personally lived in Jesmond, Newcastle throughout my placement year and found the wage provided on the placement more than covered my living costs.

Again because I lived in Jesmond, Newcastle I would spend my weekends in town, Newcastle is a great city for the nightlife and a nice city to spend the day in.

There were some events outside of work for the people in my office organising a golf day, Charity days and I also participated in a volunteer programme to give back to those less fortunate. Overall however, I would have personally preferred a more social element and more activities happening outside of work.