Business Improvement Placement Student Review

Analysing site performance data to drive performance and minimise waste. Databases used include Microsoft Excel, PowerBI, Aeon2. Presenting findings on a weekly basis to various departments across site, including site leaders. Working on and leading interdepartmental porjects, focusing on yield optimisation and process optimisation. Facilitating discussions regarding improvement between multiple departments, including engineering, operations, logistics, manufacturing and the machine operators. Performing across site quality and EHS Gembas to ensure that safety and compliance is maintained.

I have greatly improved my communication skills, from facilitating conversations between various departments and working with a lot of different people across site, from operators to site leaders. I have gained data analysis skills and have also learned how to use PowerBI. By working in different projects with various teams, my teamworking skills have greatly improved. My presentation skills have improved as a result of presenting site data to various departments on a weekly basis. Through leading projects, I have developed my leadership skills.

I feel that I have been given a lot of responsibility, especially as the placement has progressed. I began by assisting the running of the continuous improvement process for one of the business units on site. As the year has progressed, I now take full charge of this process. This occurred by slowly starting to lead the meetings that I was attending and completing more and more tasks by myself. I have also lead a number of projects.

I believe that I was given a good balance of support and independence - I was pushed out of my comfort zone but felt well supported and comfortable to do so. My manager is very supportive and ensures that we have all of the help and support we need to a high level on a daily basis, on a deeper level during our weekly team meetings and in a more personal level during monthly 1-to-1s. They have been very supportive of my personal development, including my university requirements and future career goals.

I have found this to be a very relaxed and informal workplace, this is to be expected of a manufacturing site. Colleagues have no issue with speaking candidly, often without a 'corporate' mask. I found everyone very friendly and welcoming upon starting, and thought that everyone was very easy to speak to. Most colleagues are always willing to help eachother out, and there is a good team feel. The site is also quite social and often do activities outside of work.

I feel that I have learned a lot over the course of the placement, including what I would look for in a future position and things that I would avoid. I have enjoyed interacting with such a range of people across site, which other roles on my placement have not done to such an extent. I believe that I have gained a lot of skills and confidence. I think that the informal nature of this site has been a good stepping stone into the world of work.

Yes

I would recommend getting sharp on the company values and priorities, and try to have these at the forefront of your mind during the application process. Everyone is really friendly, so I would definitely try to relax and letting your personality shine through. I would also recommend familiarizing yourself with the nature of the consumer healthcare industry, as well as the company itself. I would also recommend preparing STAR based interview questions for the assessment centre.