Product Development and Ingredient Innovation Internship Review

Pretty much from day one I was given responsibility over aspects of the department such as stock control and calibration protocols. It was great working with people that are enthusiastic and incredibly knowledgeable in their field. I helped to develop some really interesting products, both for the parent company, Mondelez and for some of our clients. One of these products will be launched on the market over the next few months, which I am really excited about. My time with the department, and company as a whole really helped to boost my confidence and reach my full potential. I was also lucky enough to spend some of my placement within Europe, working on the trial of a new product. For myself, this it was definitely the best job that I ever had.

My department was full of a lot of experts, both in technical and theoretical ability. They made me very welcome and were more than willing to answer many of the hundreds of questions that I had during my time there. I really felt like part of the team during my placement, and I have missed that atmosphere since leaving.

I was given as much support as I needed by my supervisor. There were monthly 1-2-1 meetings with my supervisor, at these meetings we monitored my progress and worked on developing some goals to work towards during my placement. These meetings were fairly informal, and a great place to speak about any concerns or worries that I may have had.

The work load varied depending on the type of product that was being developed, and on the time frame quoted. There was always something to keep you busy, or somebody that needed a hand if there was a quite patch.

The department gave you as much responsibility as you wanted, and as much as they thought you could handle. From the beginning these were small tasks, but by the end of my placement I was given a mini-product of my own to develop.

Organisation was a key weakness of mine during my placement, this improved over the year and has carried on into my university work life. Delivering presentations, speaking with suppliers and sitting in with client meetings really helped to boost my communication skills. I definitely learnt a lot of skills that I have brought back to university.

Obviously the department was very focused on work, but the atmosphere was always friendly and conversations were always flowing at some point during the day. The atmosphere of the site where I was based felt like that of small company, everybody was friendly and easy to talk with.

From application to interview and finally starting work, the process flowed really well. There was even a point of contact to speak with regarding any questions about the process and next steps.

The department and company as a whole were very keen to allow you to explore areas of particular interest, such as different departments, or conferences and exhibitions. There were several training course which the full-time members of staff and students attended. More often than not, it was easy to forget that it was just a one year placement contract.

Towards the end of my placement, the prospects of returning to the company after graduation were discussed.

There were quite a few placement students based at the site, and there was always something going on.

Rental costs in Reading can be quite high, as can the cost of going out.

Reading is quite a small town, with a good night life, but London is only 20 minutes away by train.

There were a variety of events such as yoga, football and even zumba classes, which were ran by another placement student on site.