Resourcing Assistant Review

I really enjoyed my industrial placement in HR at National Grid. I was given a huge amount of responsibility on the projects I worked on, which was great, and my contribution was really valued. The team and everyone I worked with were really supportive.

I felt like a true member of the team who had been there years. My ideas and efforts were always appreciated and if you work well it is noticed and rewarded.

If you need any support at all, whether it is for the project you are working on, a placement project or something else, everyone is very supportive and always happy to sit down with you to help.

Work load could vary. Assessment centres require alot of preparation and support on the days. Other events that I organised also required preparation but if you plan the workload that you have then it can be accomplished. It is always better to be busy that to have nothing to do and even when it can get really busy at times, there is always a great sense of acheivement when you finish.

I was given a huge level of responsibility, more than I had expected, but I liked that. I was allowed to run projects on my own but if you ever have any questions there is always someone that you can ask for support.

I think that the experience and the skills I gained will be extremely useful back at university, especially for group coursework and presentations. I also developed my confidence in my own ability and for communicating with other people which is always key. In terms of beyond university, I now know what area I want to pursue my future career in and also the company I want to be with. To know that information before I go into my final year at university is amazing. Without my placement I would never have been so sure what I want to do.

The company believe in employees being able to work responsibly so you are able to plan your work yourself without having someone checking on you all the time. This has really allowed the open plan office to feel more relaxed and everyone is really friendly. It doesn't mean you don't have to work though!

National Grid have a placement scheme which is very well organised and being in HR I really got to see in depth how much effort is put into making the placements successful. If there is something additional to your role that you would like to experience or get involved with, just ask and every effort will be made to make it possible.

There are training events at the beginning of the placement for all the students to help them develop their skills and maximise their experience with the company before going back to university. If a course will be relevant to your work then it will be considered. Throughout your placement your personal development will also be encouraged by your manager through one to one meetings.

As of yet I haven't got a job with them but I will be attending the graduate assessment centre next month and I am hoping I will be successful.

There are quite a few students at the Warwick site and so the social scene is good. Everyone meets up for lunch together, although you don't have to if you don't want to. People go out together at the weekends also and everyone was really friendly while I was there.

For the Warwick office everyone tends to live in Leamington Spa which is a great location for travelling to work (a free shuttle bus takes about 10 minutes) and the area isn't too expensive - especially compared to what I am used to at university.

Leamington has loads of bars that are only a short distance away so there is always something to do. They have student nights too so it doesn't have to be an expensive night.

Lots of activities take place outside of work, these can range from volunteering at educational events to keep fit activities to taking part in events such as a sailing weekend. There are plenty of opportunities and something for everyone.