Placement Year Review at Audit Commission

The Role

Role Description

Assisting with the management of information and data flows into the Commission’s data warehouse, as required to support a variety of information tools and frameworks.
Working with Specialist Analysts in the field of performance information by researching and gathering performance and contextual information data from various sources.
Supporting the processes and systems for collecting and recording the information, including dealing with queries on performance indicators and data received primarily from public service bodies.
Involved in the analysis of performance indicators and the development of performance information reporting tools.

Responsibilities
• Conduct analysis and data preparation to support the work of the group.
• Help develop new analytical tools to support the Commission’s audit and inspection functions.
• Prepare and analyse performance data for the assessment of local public services.
• Maintain effective customer and client relationships.
• Act as Administrator for the Teams' web based query system Touchpaper, allocate and answer the 5000+ queries coming into the team over the year. Provide training to new members of the team and other colleagues in the use of the system.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I had a really great time whilst at the Commission, made better by the brilliantly capable people i worked alongside. A highly enjoyable, beneficial and productive year out of university.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Every colleague i came across was very welcoming and accommodating, once i settled in i was made to feel like any other employee, and once colleagues saw the quality of my work i was looked upon as a great resource to the directorate.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I was managed by three different colleague during my thirteen months, each one gave me their fullest support and steerage when needed.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Each of my managers made sure i never went without at least something to do each day. They always looked out for new and diverse work areas for me to undertake.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I was given free reign in a number of projects, creating training manuals and guidance for the system i managed, being allowed to conduct the training sessions myself also. This ties in with how valued i was by my colleagues, the more i worked and members of the team saw what i was doing, the greater responsibility i accrued throughout the year.

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 have learnt a great many things over the course of my time at the Audit Commission, my Excel, SPSS and Outlook skills have improved a great deal, i learnt many things about Excel that i'm sure will help me in my future work. My time management and prioritising skills have improved greatly and i think this will be crucial in my final year of studies.
Along with learning about the many other facets of daily work i feel i am much better equipped for dealing with work post-graduation than i would have been had i not enjoyed a sandwich year.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

There were times when the office was very quiet, the peak work times were very stressful for many of the staff, and this obviously filtered through into the workplace. There were other times however when the atmosphere was very enjoyable. The period of the Olympics for example was very jovial.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

My first few weeks were well structured by my original manager, and as the work began to flow in things settled down well. Each manager maintained my work balance, general assessment and feedback through monthly one to ones, which were extremely helpful. Each change of line mnaager i encountered was almost seamless.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I attended a number of training events whilst here, which were very rewarding, and helped in my work. There were a couple of other training events bandied around that i liked the look of, but our team didn't really have the budget to send me on. Therefore i think the team invested as much as it could in me, but i did miss out on some events i would have liked to attend, perhaps because i was not as clued up about the process as i should have been.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

• Flexi Time
• Above 25 days holiday
• Travel loan

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

I would say personally i would need a few years experience working in a London Borough Council or somewhere else in local government before moving onto a role here at the Commission. They treat their staff very well, but i think i would feel out of my depth in terms of local government knowledge and expertise if i took up a role here immediatley after graduation.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

There was only one other placement student at our offices, a good number of colleagues in my team were very sociable and i had a number of great times out of the office with them.

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

★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 1/10

I lived in Ealing due to family connections which was a very nice place, but expensive. I found little time for socialising, but whenever i could i would go out in the local area or central London. Many months ages were blown in various bars and clubs etc.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Not technically Westminster, but central London had some great (if epensive) places to go drink and party.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

A good number of employees in the wider driectorate i worked organised nights out and trips to various places in London, so there was always something to do every month.

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?

Enjoy the (free) tube travel you get when employed here, it's a great bonus.
Take time to enjoy the various different parts of London (Richmond, Ealing, Camden, Edgware, Hammersmith) if you don't know it already.
Use your leave wisely and enjoy yourself outside of work.

Review 4/9 for Audit Commission

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