Placement Year Review at PSA Peugeot Citroën

The Role

Role Description

My Commercial management placement was split into two 6 month placements.

My first 6 months were in the Warranty Department. My main project was the planning and development of the 'Warranty Connect'dealer communication service for all Warranty enquiries. This has improved efficiency within the department and there has been a lot of positive feedback on the system from dealers. My other daily tasks were to process Warranty claims, and process Warranty Audit debits in communication with dealers.

My second 6 months were as an Events & Advertising Assistant in the Marketing Department. Here my main role was to support the department which involved many ad-hoc tasks on a daily basis. I was heavily involved in plannning events such as County Shows and Goodwood Festival of Speed, an event that I will also work. I was also given interesting projects to manage such as Top Gear Magazine advertorials and TV Product Placement requests.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I have really enjoyed both of my placements. It was great to be given responsibility in both of my roles. In Warranty it was great to have a project to work with, but in Events & Advertising I really enjoyed the variation of work and have found that it is something I would like to do in the future.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Peugeot is a great place to do an Industrial Placement, shown by the fact that everyone upto and including the Managing Director, takes a real interest in the scheme.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I was given great support by both of my managers. In Warranty I was given clear instructions on the project and was given responsibility to lead the project and make decisions which was great. In Events & Advertising my manager was always available to give advice and guidence on things when I needed it.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

I was never at any point bored in my placement at PSA Peugeot Citroen. I feel that there was a perfect balance in the Warranty department in the sense that I was always busy but got everything done within normal working hours.

In Events & Advertising I was always very busy and found myself working late on most evenings. However, this was not a problem as the work was very enjoyable and varied every day. It is part of the Marketing culture that the work is enjoyable but the hours can sometimes be long, but very enjoyable.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I was given great responsibility during my placements. In Warranty I was given the task of creating 'Warranty Connect', the new dealer communication service. This was a really important project and something that I really enjoyed.

I was also given great projects to manage in Events & Advertising such as Top Gear Magazine advertorials, TV Product Placements, and the Merlin Partnership.

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

The training at PSA Peugeot Citroen is fantastic. We are trained throughout the year on many subjects such as Motivation, Working Styles, Communication, Presenting, and how to apply ourselves in meetings as well as other areas. These are all really helpful when applyed to the job, and the skills I have learnt will be invaluable in the future when I complete my degree at Universsity.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

In both departments that I have worked the people were very friendly and enthusiastic about their work. It is a great place to be.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The Placement scheme is fantastic, backed up by the fact that PSA Peugeot Citroen won the Work Placement of the Year Award 2011 for a large employer at the National Council for Work Experience awards. The training is well organised and it is a great format to do two 6 month placements so that you can see how the business works from more than one view point.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The company provided fantastic training throughout the year, which helped with the job and will also help when I go back to University.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

• Sports and Social Club
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• National Travel
• Company Parties/Events
• Above 25 days holiday

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I would love the opportunity to come back to PSA Peugeot Citroen on the graduate scheme. It is a great place to work and there is a lot of time and money spent on investing in our development.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

The social scene amongst fellows IPs was good but we could have done a lot more. It wasn't until we went for a night out a few months from the end of our placement that we wished we had done things more often. We also went out for meals and went bowling. It was not easy to organise things as many people travelled in and did not live in Coventry.

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

I lived at home for the year but in general it is not an expensive area to live

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Coventry has a good selection or places to go and there are few good bars/ clubs at the Sky Dome. There are also student nights with the University being so close.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I really enjoyed playing Football with colleagues from work every Monday night. The Social Committee also organise good events such as days out and Family Fun Day's.

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?

I would reccomend PSA Peugeot Citroen to anyone that wants to do a placement where they will be given real responsibility and a variety of tasks.

Review 28/35 for PSA Peugeot Citroën

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