R&D IP Student (DRG Woodcare) Review

I very much enjoyed the overall experience and opportunities of my industrial placement, so much so that I extended my stay for nearly 2 further months. The chance to learn from colleagues and meet with other people in the wider business was fantastic.

I felt valued by my colleagues as they gave me positive feedback and support when needed. I worked closely in a small team of 4 with 2.5 people on the project I was working on. I made valid contributions to the project which will be used to define the future aims of the project and the next steps that will be taken.

I could sit down with my team leader, manager or any other colleagues if I needed support or guidance and I knew that if I needed any advice or support it was always available. It was also great to be able to sit down with people outside of my team to talk about my career and their career and to learn about the opportunities within AkzoNobel.

Due to the nature of the project work there were very busy periods and periods with seemingly little work (never true!). After 14 months working there I would expect this is normal of any company, but at first I felt like I had nothing to do which wasn't true. I approached my manager about it and was informed that I was doing fine, but I was still slightly sceptical. At the end of my time I was given a lot of positive feedback and feel that with a little more reassurance early on that the work would soon pile up and that I was on the right track, I would have scored this more highly.

Given sole responsibility of researching one stream of the project which I communicated my results within the team regularly and the wider groups every quarter. I always knew help was on hand if I had any questions/needed advice on which direction to take next. I was also given the responsibility of organising the Christmas party and was sports team captain two years running. I had very good feedback and it was a great opportunity to lead your peers and to learn about project/group management.

The skills I have learnt regarding working in a multinational corporation are invaluable and will allow me to stand out from the crowd and develop much quicker than others. I am confident that I will have an advantage over other candidates when applying for jobs in the future. The skills that I will take back to University are things such as time/project management and ways of working efficiently and safely which will undoubtedly be useful during my 4th year project. I also have experience of writing a report and presenting in different situations which will also be a benefit at University.

The atmosphere was always friendly and you could talk to anyone. It was often quiet when large numbers were out in meetings and sometimes I felt isolated. Despite this, there was never any negativity in the office.

The overall industrial placement was very well set up, with a thorough induction in the first week and any training necessary was planned. The great organisation of AkzoNobel showed up my University as not being very organised with regards to communication with and management of students during their industrial placements. I've also seen when the new students arrived where they have learnt from the feedback my year offered.

There were many training sessions organised for the placement students and I was able to attend other training sessions as well. My development was managed in the same way as all the permanent employees which made me feel valued.

I spent a good amount of time investigating the opportunities within the organisation and will seriously consider AkzoNobel when applying for jobs.

There was a decent social scene as we did some things together, especially at the start of the year. As a lot of people commuted to work, it meant opportunities for socialising were often restricted. I have seen that other years had very good social scenes and think that my year of students was a bit of an exception.

The south east being so close to London was very expensive compared to the North West so I felt no change from being a student at University to working. The increased income was negated by the cost of living and socialising and commuting in the area.

There is plenty of nightlife but not the variety I am used to in the North West. For people whose taste in music fits the nightlife it would be great, but I didn't find any clubs that played specifically the music I am into (Indie-Rock).

There were few activities run specifically by the company but some run by people within the company. As it is a built up area close to London there is plenty to do. I started up a 6 a-side football match which ran every week with my colleagues.