Procurement intern Review

Role changed daily, but was mainly covered attending Indirect's team meetings, MBR's and QBR's, and calls to check in with suppliers and other parts of the company across the country. I also was tasked with drafting a contract for a contract renewal and witnessed the lead up to a tender process, the presentations themselves, and discussions following to select the supplier.

Learnt contract drafting, supplier relationship management, and software related to Procurement operations. I also improved my presenting skills in regular team meetings, as well as at my end of placement presentation. I enhanced my commercial awareness and was able to align my work with the Centrica values of Care, Courage, Agility, Delivery, and Collaboration. I also learnt many new acronyms and gained insight into other parts of procurement. I developed existing skills of time management.

Yes, I was tasked with drafting a contract independently, checking in with my manager on my progress every few weeks. I also was encouraged to communicate with suppliers via email, and offer my opinions regularly in meetings.

I received a lot of support directly from my manager throughout the 9 weeks, however others within the Procurement team were also encouraging and provided me with guidance. In the first few weeks and middle week, the emerging talent team also provided introductory training and a presenting with impact talk.

The company culture within procurement was very friendly and welcoming. The team were very supportive and encouraged my development when I attended calls related to their individual projects, which I was unfamiliar with. I also had many attend a trial of my end of placement presentation in their own time, and was provided with constructive feedback. Additionally, procurement interns had a large audience from the procurement department at end of placement presentations - felt very supported.

I thoroughly enjoyed the internship, I learnt so much in such a short period of time. I learnt both procurement specific skills, but I know I am able to transfer many of my skills for my final year of study and future employment. My manager was very supportive, and I also learnt a lot from collaborating with my wider team. Overall, I believe this internship has supported me with both my professional and personal growth.

Yes

I recommend applying to Centrica's internship. If successful, I would advise one to make the most of the experience, be open to learning as much as possible and say yes to everything. Ultimately, you will get as much as you put into the company, but you can learn a lot in such a short period of time if you are willing to learn and driven.