Asset Policy Engineer Review

I had a very enjoyable placement. It was very beneficial for me as it was the first time I got to experience what its like to have a real proper full time job. My project was very interesting and I was warmly-welcomed into the System Design team.

I felt very valued by the other employees in the business. If ever I had queries to do with my work, I could ask someone sitting beside me or get advice on who to contact. I could then contact them via email or set up a personal meeting. Anytime this occurred the help I received was excellent and allowed me to continue on with my work. We also had good fun among each other, having casual small talk throughout the day and there was always something to laugh about!

I received excellent support from my manager and others involved in my project. My manager was quite busy with numerous projects, but he always reassured me that if I was stuck and needed help to come see him and he would make sure I received adequate help. My manager came through the Power Academy program also so I believe he understood what was needed to make the placement a success for myself, so I have to give National Grid great credit for this,

I believe I had enough work to keep me occupied, but also time to clear my head whenever I needed to which worked well. Towards the end of my placement I was working a bit under stress, but I was reassured that if I didn't get everything I needed done that it wasn't a problem. Having this reassurance allowed me to work calmly and continue producing good results. The balance was definitely on par!

During my placement I was given a reasonable amount of responsibility. When it came to formalities such as emails for meetings with my manager and other high-up employees, my manager would make me sent out the invites, decide on a time that suited all the attendees and a location. This was scary at first but important to experience. Also when it came towards the end of my placement I had to set up my own presentation in the same way, send out invites to HR staff and employees who helped throughout the business. As I left a little earlier than some of the other scholars HR told me that my presentation was excellent and could provide the others with a good template to compare to when designing their own. This made me feel very responsible and useful!

I believe the work I done on placement will be of great benefit to me as I continue my studies and prepare for entering the world of work. I learnt how to be formal, punctual and polite in work situations. I learnt how to respect others opinions even if I don't agree with them, and I think most importantly I learnt that getting something wrong isn't always a bad thing, it gave me an opportunity to correct myself and improve on my work.

The atmosphere was always calm and collected. Workers would be concentrating on their work, but also available for a chat if need be. There would be occasions of comedy which helped brighten up the day when things began to drag. The set up was brilliant within the office. There would be "hot-desking" so you could sit beside someone else everyday and get to know them better. When an employee was back from holiday or maybe heading on one, they would bring in treats for the office which was a nice gesture.

I believe it was very well set up. In previous years I heard they were a little slow initially, but according to the older scholars they really out-done themselves this year, which was good to hear. My project was well set out when I arrived. I was working with a student who had started a month early (due to him taking a year of university abroad), so when I arrived I initially had talks with him to get up to date on the project and to become acquainted. Then I had talks with my manger to find out about the business and what was expected from me. I believe after 2 days I was up to speed and working hard with my partner on the project which made me feel useful.

The company has invested a lot in me even before this placement. I am the representative for them at my university, and regularly encourage younger students to apply to the Power Academy and get themselves a scholarship with my company, or another within the program. I had software training during the placement to get up to date on what the employees used on a daily basis. We also had meetings with HR and the graduates to find out abut the business and how we can grow into useful employees when we graduate!

Future prospects for myself in this company would have been brilliant. Only problem is I haven't done very well in my university studies and have a very low average after 2 years. This has ruined my opportunities through the program, and is all my fault! National Grid were very supportive of my situation. I had summer repeats to take in August, and before starting they made sure to ask did I still want to do the placement.

I would say the social scene among the other scholars and the graduates was one of the best things about my placement. Everyone was really friendly to each other, be it at work or at the weekends. As I've said too the office employees were good fun too and there was always something to laugh about which was good!

I paid rent at £325 a month without bills, but my landlord didn't give back the full deposit so I'd warn future scholars to avoid his letting agency. The area itself was brilliant though. I was living with one of the scholars, and then living next door to another. There was an Iceland beside our flat and numerous shops and bars/restaurants.

The nightlife was excellent. The prices were quite reasonable and the venues decent. The "craic" among the employees made it very enjoyable. I could say every weekend we went out was worthwhile and amazing fun!

As scholars we tried to play football together and go on boat trips within Leamington Spa itself at times. We met up to watch the world cup games in a pub closeby for everyone. Then we would visit each other some evenings to play computer games or maybe head into town shopping which was good.