Global Purchasing Review

Overall this placement was an enjoyable experience and it gave the opportunity to experience various aspects of purchasing however work load was inconsistent and there was no formal structure for the year.

I always felt valued by colleagues who listened to my comments and they were happy to answer any questions.

My supervisor always gave me clear instructions when I was given a task and he included me in new tasks which increased my responsibility within the company. However there was no discussion about my career after placement.

Due to dominance of engineering within the company it limited my involvement in certain roles due to my non-engineering background. The work load was inconsistent however when tasks were given to me they were of significance and they helped me develop new skills.

Although I was not directly responsible for major decsions, I was responsible for providing the correct data to allow decisions to be made. I was trusted to find and anaylse the data correctly.

I learnt a lot from working within a large organisation where communication skills were highly valued these skills are necessary for any industry. I learnt a lot about cost analysis and cost saving methods used in manufacturing industry. I also spent time working with quotes from suppliers and learning the process of sending and recieving a quote. I have learnt a lot of skills which I will use for the rest of my life however I spent the majority of my time using Excel which limited a skills range.

Friendly atmosphere in the office but large age gap between the work force.

On arrival there was no formal structure for the year therefore it took some time to get involved in projects and work groups. However after a couple of months we learnt what my role and designated tasks would be.

Caterpillar gave lots of training and development however it would have been better to receieve all necessary training e.g. advanced microsoft excel training on first arrival rather than 6 months later.

There are certain roles within purchasing which would be of interest to me however career progress appears to be slow.

There are frequent employee nights out and there is 5-a-side football, however due to factory location there is no social life directly after work.

Leicester is affordable area to work in and my salary allowed me to live comfortably.

Caterpillar is located outside a rural village, the nearest town is 7 miles away but it does have a good nightlife.

There is a sports and social club which offers activities such as yoga after work. However other activities such as paintball or 5-a-side has to be organised by employees themselves.