Placement Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year working at Nissan in Sunderland. I never dread coming into work as I always knew I'd be walking into a relaxed friendly atmosphere. People both inside and outside of my team were always helpful in explaining things I didn't understand and always treated me as an equal. There was always opportunities to challenge myself and learn something new, I never felt held back and if I had any ideas for improvement I was actively encouraged to put them in place.

Placement students may often feel like they are just a 'bolt-on' to their team whilst working on their placement year. I on the other hand never felt like this, people inside and outside of my team were very welcoming and willing to help me learn. Over time, as I developed my knowledge and became a more valuable member of the team, I was allowed more responsibility which lead to my colleagues being able to depend on me, this allowed me to feel like a true member of the team. Whilst on my placement I also received monthly 1:1's with my Section Manager, these 1:1's gave me a chance to hear positive feedback given not only by my SM but passed on from other members of staff.

Although I had no specific mentor there was always someone on hand during my placement to give me support and guidance. I had monthly 1:1's with my management which gave me the opportunity to ask any questions and gain reassurance on any worries or queries I had. I was also always supported by members of my team, they we're always willing to spare me some time to run through any issues I had and to ensure I was confident in any knowledge I'd learnt before expecting me to put it into practice, they were also always on hand to help me out of any situations I didn't know how to handle . I also often worked along side members of staff who weren't a part of my team, again they were always willing to guide me and answer any questions. I was often encouraged during my placement to ask as many questions as feel necessary and to not be afraid to speak up when confused or struggling to follow a topic.

The majority of the time I was tasked with enough work to keep me busy on a day-to-day basis. I had set daily, weekly or monthly jobs which would consist of around 70% of my weekly workload. The other 30% would be filled with adhoc 'one off' jobs which would help with the day to day running of the team. If I did ever find myself at a loose end with little to do I could ask someone on my team if they needed help with anything and they would quickly find me something to do.

On my placement the level of responsibility I was given grew with the amount of knowledge I had learnt. I was often left to my own devices to carry out a piece of work and wasn't expected to have a more senior colleague check every piece of work I completed. One of the biggest responsibilities I had was working with the audit teams to help gather evidence for both the Statutory and JSOX audits, these audits are legal requirements yet I was still encouraged to be responsible for my own work and that I didn't the reassurance from other people to constantly check I was doing it correctly.

The general atmosphere in my office was very positive. As well as being hardworking and professional, my team were very social. It was a friendly place to work and along with discussing work related issues and topics everyone was always happy enough to chat about our hobbies and plans for the weekend etc. Our management also regularly encouraged us to get together socially, whether it be for a buffet lunch in the office or an evening out for a game of bowling and food. This general friendliness also extended out of our office to other teams, it was easy to go through and discuss work but also just as friendly on the social side.

I will definitely be applying for the Graduate scheme at Nissan Sunderland. Overall I have had a very enjoyable year on placement and would love to develop the knowledge I've learnt about the company further.

There was around 40 placement students in this years intake, trying to get all these people in one place on a certain date wasn't easy, but there was around 10-12 of us who regularly met up. We varied from a quick stop at the pub on a Friday evening to full blown nights out or meals during the week. There was also regular Grad & Placement nights out set up by some of the Graduates that always had a good response.

I would recommend living in Newcastle if you were to take on a placement at Nissan in Sunderland. There are many student areas to live and therefore the cost of renting isn't too extreme. It takes around 20 minutes to drive there and there are also regular buses that run from Newcastle City Centre to outside the Nissan Plant if you weren't able to drive in. Newcastle is known for its lively nightlife and also has a great range of restaurants and different activities to do on evenings and weekends.

I only went on one night out in Sunderland during my placement, my team went for a meal and a few drinks and it was an enjoyable night, but I would definitely recommend going over to Newcastle instead. There are many different, bars, clubs and restaurants, and everyone should find somewhere they enjoy.