Placement Year Review at Volkswagen Group UK Ltd

The Role

Role Description

- Management of parts marketing products for both the fleet and retail industries
- Managing the roll out of a new quotation system to all 5 brands
- Responsible for paying quarterly parts and accessories bonuses to over 500 retailers
- Short-term management cover
- Management of a data provision supplier
- Producing parts price comparisons against other automotive manufacturers
- Communicating between 5 brands and suppliers

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I really enjoyed my job, I had a great team, lots of responsibility and learnt lots of new skills.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I felt really valued by my colleagues, and a lot of the time people in other departments and outside of the business were unaware that I was a placement student. I really felt a part of the team and no different to any other member of staff.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The support and guidance was there if I wanted it from my management team. The only support which could be improved upon was from HR. I think it would benefit the students if they had quarterly reviews with the HR team and their managers.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

At the beginning of my placement, I was busy getting to grips with the work. However, I picked this up quite quickly and started to get less busy.
In the last 6 months of my placement I covered for my manager, and this meant I was really busy all of the time. However, I really enjoyed this extra responsibility and it gave me the chance to prove my ability.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement, much more than I expected.
However, as a student you do have to prove yourself before extra responsibility is given.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I will use a lot of skills developed from my placement, in my final year. The experience helps to put theories from uni into practice, and gives you your own work situations to relate things to.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The atmosphere does vary a lot between departments, but in my team, we all got on well, and there was a relaxed atmosphere most of the time.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The year I applied to VW Group was very well organised.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

All the training and development that was available to all members of staff were available to students aswell. Whilst I was at VW I went to lots of courses, including Financial Awareness, Access, Excel, Word and Time Management.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

• Flexi Time
• Subsidised Canteen
• Company Car
• National Travel
• Financial Bonus
• Company Parties/Events
• Staff Sales/Staff Shop
• Above 25 days holiday

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Although there is not currently a graduate scheme running, if you perform well in your placement HR will keep in touch with you and let you know of any job opportunities.
I would love to go back to VW when I graduate.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

There were around 20 students on the scheme when I was there, but a lot of them commuted to work and didnt socialise with the rest of the students much. Some of us did go out though, and a lot of departments have social events quarterly too.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Rent was £290 p/m for a room in a 5 bed house, shared with other students.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

It was ok, but MK is not the best place for nighlife. There are only a few bars and clubs.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

The boys played a lot of football whilst on placement but there was not much for girls to get involved in.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

VW is a great place to do your placement as there are many opportunities to see different areasof the business. You are given lots of responsibility and are treated just like any other member of staff.
There are lots of opportunities to improve your skills through learning and development and the experience is invaluable.

Review 3/11 for Volkswagen Group UK Ltd

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