IT and Business Change Undergraduate Review

The work placement at E.ON UK was very enjoyable. The work I was involved with varied significantly and allowed me get a wider impression of the company as a whole. I felt that the work I was doing and could do was very much up to me, as my manager never created an engrained plan of what I had to do, he supplied a stream of work and if I wanted to explore outside of that then I was able to speak to others in my department about getting involved with the work they were doing too. I also found that the work had a common trait and that was to build up my network and understanding on E.ON. I worked in E.ON IT and my manager was always eager to ensure the work I did allowed me to explore outside of IT so I never became pigeonholed in, thus setting me in the right direction for maximising the benefit I received from doing a placement year.

There is no question around this one. I was made to feel welcome from day 1, everyone treated me like an equal and an official member of the team, and this is something that was appreciated as I think everyone has that initial anxiousness around whether they are going to settle in when they get to work on the first day. Another point to add is that E.ON is very experienced in providing placement schemes and it has done so for years, they know exactly what they are doing and it shows!

This is another 10 stars. The support and guidance I got while on placement was perfect. This is in part due to my response to an earlier answer around how E.ON are experienced in providing placements, they know what they are doing so it is no wonder they know how to provide the perfect level of support and guidance. For me personally, I found that my manager learnt how I worked and acted accordingly. You always felt that you were able to speak to your line manager at any point to discuss your work and they'd be able to help out, this is something that can help to build up confidence in your own abilities. Also, from my experience I liked to problem solve and figure things out for myself, so when I was doing work and wasn't speaking up all the time about it he felt comfortable that I could tackle it on my own. Furthermore, with respect to guidance from your line manager it's very much what you put in.

I feel as if the rating for this one is purely subjective, some may enjoy being a little busy when others prefer it all the time. There were peaks and troughs in my work load, some weeks I could be very busy and others not so much. Personally, I feel I like to be busy all the time hence my rating, but nevertheless this is a great environment and stream of work for an undergraduate to development themselves in.

The level of responsibly that this undergraduate scheme (IT and Business Change) entails is based purely on your performance and motivation. If you show yourself to be a strong and motivated employee who is always eager to take on more work and you have proved yourself then you'll find your level of responsibility growing. In short, you'll get exactly the same amount of responsibility that you prove you can handle.

The skills I have developed while on my placement will definitely assist me in my degree firstly. This is due to how my final year modules encompassed business analysis and modelling and these and some of the things I did while on placement. Furthermore, I also attended training courses for BAs, so know I am able to use software and understand how the modelling process works. It's not often you get to develop skills where they will have a direct positive impact on your final year studies. In addition to this I also developed soft skills while on placement, communication, team working and leadership all will come in useful in later life. These soft sills will have justifiable business examples to go with them, should I be asked a question on it come an interview.

The general atmosphere in my office was definitely a positive one. Everyone worked as part of a team so it gave off a very friendly impression, there were plenty of people to speak to and regardless of your level colleagues were willing to laugh and joke with you. A very nice experience! My only quarrel was that in the office I was based there were not a large array of people in their 20s like me, this has its drawbacks but you still fit in well with everyone there without a problem.

The company invests in you completely. They recommend you attend a minimum of three training sessions for the year, but what you do and how many you do is very much up to you. I found that if there were courses that came up that I felt would be beneficial to attend then you could speak to your manager about it. In my experience as long as I could justify to him why the course would benefit me, I'd be able to go on it.

I lived in Nottingham so the costs were typical for a city of that size. I imagine the costs would come down if you shared a house with someone in a student area, but for me who rented a flat I found it to be a little too pricey for living costs than I would have liked, but there are ways around it. In terms of socialising the prices didn't bother me at all, as I said it's very typical for a city in the midlands.

The nightlife in Nottingham I found to be brilliant. There are loads of bars and clubs to go to and you'll always find something going on. The restaurants are in plentiful supply and reasonably priced something I certainly took advantage of. The weekends have something for everyone from Jazz bars to deep house club nights, whatever you are in to it does not fall short to impress. Plus you're not far from Birmingham on the train and that city has everything and more.