Asset Management Review

I specifically enjoyed the involvement in the Condition Monitoring team because it enabled me to learn to a great extend how things are done at the moment and which industry issues need to be addressed by future technologies. It was certainly more than dealing with spreadsheets and office work and the site visits were colouring the whole duration of the placement. The only drawback was the geographical location of the company; I'd prefer if I had to work in more central city/town with more out-of-work activities available.

Being part of a larger group of 20+ scholars made things more interesting because we could and did arrange many activities together like paintballing, go-carting, cinemas. I think my colleagues made the placement much more enjoyable rather being here on my own.

I was certainly given support when asked but my manager was so busy I usually had to track him down and arrange a meeting with him despite his overbooked schedule. Nevertheless, his advice was always more than what actually required and I have certainly benefited by my interaction with persons that are actually leaders in their field.

My daily work was usually related with my manager interaction so I had fluctuations on how busy I was. Because of the nature of my project (writing a policy) I had to continuously review it with my superiors so I was greatly dependent on their schedule. Overall, I think I could achieve more during the placement if more directed guidance was provided.

I wasn't given much responsibility because after all the duration of my placement is only 8 weeks and anything I'd done would have to end or stay incomplete by then. Nevertheless I think I was given enough responsibility to understand that in corporate life there is much dependency on other people and that an individual's work and responsibility directly affect its colleagues.

I definitely believe that the experience and skills acquired during my placement will prove to be of great value no matter my career choice. My interactions with people leaders in their field and the inside view of corporate life and how a large company works will certainly help me make a more informed future career decision and will really prove to be useful for the rest of my life.

Despite working in a serious working environment with senior managers and directors showing up a number of times per day I think that the atmosphere was less informal than I expected. Everybody was busy but they did have time for a short chat when necessary or for a long friendly one during breaks. Overall I believe that the atmosphere was balanced between a productive but pleasant environment.

Organisation seemed one of the company's strong points even before arriving for the placement given the excellently organised Welcome and Induction days. The HR department made a fantastic job regarding our more bureaucratic issues (payroll number, pension scheme etc) and provided a quick response to any enquiries. The only thing I want to comment about is the surprisingly long delay when dealing with IT issues, for example when I needed to wait for 2 weeks for a piece of software and the trouble I had when I needed to access a database with information needed for my work.

The company invested in me in the way that the work I was given was important but something that the existing employees did not have time to complete. The company also invests in its interns in the way that in the case of a future employment this placement will render the employee more easily adapting to the way the company works and needing less time to get used to corporate life.

I strongly believe that a future employment with NG will be a good career choice given the impression from my relationships with existing employees. I will finish the placement carrying excellent reviews about my experience here. Despite this fact, I still have three years of university studies yet and I don't want to seriously consider my career options until then.

The social opportunities were better than I expected and my colleagues and I have organised a lot of out-of-work activities like go-carting, paintball, going to the cinema and a trip to Alton Towers. I've also enjoyed sharing house with another three interns and all the things we did together.

Living and socialising were quite cheap in the area I work. Despite living in central Leamington I found the prices reasonable and not exaggerated.

Nightlife isn't Leamington's strong point but nevertheless the pubs and clubs are quite all right for a night out.

I enjoyed most opportunities I found, including various sport activities with my colleagues and trips to nearby tourist locations. The overall number of activities available though was a bit limited and I would prefer if I was working in a more central location.