This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
Really enjoyed the placement, met some great friends and colleagues and really enjoyed the scope of work and involvement I had in important company projects.
I never felt like a placement student, I was always treated like any other employee and got involved in team meetings, meals, etc.
Excellent support and guidance by my manager, who was as committed to my personal development as I was. I was pushed to challenge myself, and this allowed me to get the most out of my placement.
At quieter periods I was proactive in asking for more work; this worked great for me as it allowed me to keep busy every day, as there was no shortage of work in the department.
As said above, I was treated just like any other employee, I was heavily involved in all projects. I was involved in liaising with external partners and internal teams. I was given a range of large tasks and small projects to complete solely with the help of colleagues when needed (all colleagues were extremely supportive of my situation and learning)
I think the skills I have developed over the year will be invaluable throughout my career. I have learned skills at the age of 21 that could take many students a few years to develop. I feel my placement will not only assist me in my final year studies, but will put me ahead of the game when applying for graduate roles and/or future employment.
The Company
It had a good balance, there was periods when everyone was extremely busy, or engrossed in their work, and other days when being in the office was really fun. The atmosphere in the office was generally a happy one, and one noticeable thing was the staff morale was always at a high. If you needed a quieter space there were always study booths available for when you needed full concentration.
Extremely organised. I spent time within a range of teams in the department, which I felt gave me the best overall understanding of the department and the types of work I could potentially get involved in, if accepted onto the graduate training program.
This was the most surprising aspect of my placement. National Grid were 100% committed in developing me as a student and potential future graduate. I was involved in residential training, training days on specific areas of development, sites visits, learning and development talks and much much more. Subsequent to this, I was sponsored by National Grid, meaning I would be given a bursary in my final year at university, and then invited back to an early graduate assessment centre.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Extremely appealing. The placement year has given me the confidence that if offered a graduate role at National Grid I would be extremely happy in my role, but also feel I would have the potential to have a successful career at National Grid.
The Culture
As a placement student we had a monthly meal/outing organised amongst us, and the odd night out etc. Within the working teams we also organised a monthly team meal. With the placement students a lot of us either went home on weekends, back to university or had other plans, so events were mainly held on work nights.
I lived in a low cost area, but closer to the offices Warwick/Solihull was a lot more expensive.
There were a lot of clubs around to choose from.
Sports clubs, societies etc.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
West Midlands
June 2014