Information Security and Risk Analyst EMEA Review

The placement has been an extremely valuable experience which has given me an insight into the Information Security and Risk field. I have been involved with all areas of the business as my role covers the EMEA region. I feel like part of the team! The only reason I have not given this a 10/10 is simply because I don't feel that a Placement can be the "Best Job Ever", if it was where would I go after it?

My team has always been there to support me. I feel like I am able to go to my manager with any issues or problems. The working environment within Vauxhall is very close and everybody is willing to provide assistance when necessary.

I could not have asked for a better Manager for this Placement. As previously mentioned, I feel like I can ask him for assistance whenever necessary. We also sit down once a month to review my progress. My Manager has also provided me with advice on how to proactively increase my knowledge of the Information Security field which I am sure will assist me in the future.

The work provided to me on the Placement was not only interesting but also very valuable to my personal development. My Manager allowed me to balance my own workload and we would keep track of this in a weekly activity tracker. This allowed us to ensure that I was completing work on time and also to provide assistance if I was becoming bogged down.

Part of my role at Vauxhall was being the Regional Coordinator for Website Threat and Vulnerability Management within EMEA. For this part of my role I was managing all of the websites within EMEA and ensuring that they were Secure. My Manager was always there to provide assistance where necessary. This task was of great benefit to me as it enabled me to learn how to manage an area effectively and also over a very large geographical area. My job role also required me to handle large volumes of Confidential Information on a daily basis.

The skills I have gained during my time at Vauxhall will not only assist me in finishing my degree, but they will also assist me in my Future career! I have developed fantastic communication skills by regularly communicating with my Global colleagues. I also regularly communicated with Senior Leadership in GM. I have had to plan all of the work I have carried out, which I am sure will assist me with my time management in my Final Year at University. I am sure that this Placement at Vauxhall will enable me to secure a Graduate Job in the Industry.

My office is a very relaxed working environment and it is always a pleasant place to be. My work area mainly consisted of undergraduates and it worked well. Sometimes even for a work area consisting of mainly undergraduates it could be extremely quiet!

The placement was extremely well set up! To begin with once we had secured the placement we had two open days where we were given briefings about the placement and also had a change to meet the other undergraduates. When we started most of the undergraduates were taking over from a previous role so they were working with the previous undergraduate for two weeks. My role was a new one so I had no one to take over from, during this time I worked closely with my manager and the rest of my team. We also had presentations from all of the directors over this two week period which gave us a useful insight into the entire business. For handover all of the undergraduates stayed in the University of Bedford halls of residence, which was organised by Vauxhall. The only down side regarding the set up of the placement was the housing, which didn't run as smoothly as it could have. However this has been fed back and action has been taken this year to improve the situation.

Over the year Vauxhall invested a large amount of time into my development. They provided Safe Driving workshops, Eco Driving workshops, presentation skills training and Advanced excel training. GM also provided an E-Learning portal which enabled me to gain an insight into any area I wished and also in depth training into my specific field. My manager also invested a lot of time into my personal development, mentoring me throughout the year. I was also able to attend several conference which built my knowledge of the field outside of the Vauxhall environment.

I feel that the impression I was able to give throughout the year, alongside with the work I have carried out. I have a good chance of potential future employment.

There were 75 other undergraduates at Vauxhall this year. There were regular events organised for socialising being nights out, cinema, bowling ....

My rent per month was just over £300 including bills, which i thought was excellent!

Luton unfortunately did not have a fantastic night life, only had a few pubs and one nightclub! However there were very good transport links to places like London, Watford and St. Albans!

There were many opportunities throughout the year to get involved in charity events, sports clubs or theatre trips.