Summer Placement Student Review

I worked in the intangibles and infrastructure team within the productivity division to help revise estimates of intangible and infrastructure investment in the UK. This involved a lot of work in Excel and STATA. I would participate in team meetings to review work and to present my own work. I would also attend training courses on software packages such as Excel to help brush up on my knowledge. Furthermore, I would attend student conferences to help learn from others.

I learnt a lot of skills in how to conduct myself in a workplace environment. This involved things such as punctuality, dress code and how to communicate with other people, especially those who were in managerial positions. I learnt how to present effectively to other people, and how to adapt my communication depending on who I was speaking to. Furthermore, I learnt how to improve my digital literacy by learning programmes such as Excel and STATA.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my internship. Given that I was only a student, it was a lot of responsibility to be tasked with the job of revising estimates of intangible and infrastructure investment in the UK, to be released in the form of a publication at the end of my internship. I was also given the job to train other placement students and fellow workers in certain techniques within the STATA package.

I received a lot of support and guidance both from my line manager, fellow placement students and the wider team I was working in. This included guidance on how to conduct my work in Excel and STATA, how to write effectively for publication, and how to work well as part of a team. I was given a lot of help from my wider team to settle into the organisation and to get to know other individuals.

There was a great atmosphere at the ONS. The work that the ONS produces is highly meaningful and impactful, which creates an environment where satisfaction with work is relatively high. This made for a great environment. I got on well with my fellow workers and placement students, as there was a young and vibrant atmosphere. The organisation has a good mixture of youth and experience, which enables workers to learn from each other and enjoy the job.

I really enjoyed my internship at the ONS. It was a great way to experience working life for the first time. I learnt a lot of skills and worked alongside a lot of good colleagues, who were always open to helping others and providing guidance to new members of the organisation. I was able to make friends with my colleagues who I have kept in touch with, and I have joined the alumni network of the organisation.

Yes

Try and emphasize how the skills you have learnt through your studies will help you in a working environment. For the ONS, numeric skills are important but also qualitative skills such as writing. A good set of extracurricular activities will help as it will show that you are able to balance a heavy workload well. There are many opportunities to meet representatives from the company through careers events and Linkedin so reach out to employees for advice.