Supply Chain/Procurment Review

I have very much enjoyed my work placement. The job role was challenging and different everyday, I was involved in lots of different projects and was given a lot of opportunities and gained a lot of experience.

I feel I was valued a lot by my immediate colleagues as I was able to take on some of their work load. Most other colleagues were friendly and welcoming so I feel like I was valued by them also.

I had 0 interaction or communication with my line manager who passed me on to a different manager. My second manager, however, was very helpful and supportive throughout the entire placement so my score does not reflect him at all. My score is low due to the fact that my designated line manager showed no interest in helping me and didn't want to manage an intern which did have an impact on my overall experience especially when my second manager didn't have any knowledge of the intern programme. I also didn't get much help with any projects that I was asked to carry out which was hard for somebody new entering a business. I do think that this acted as a positive in some ways because I had to adapt quickly and learn fast but it could have been made a lot easier with a bit of manager 'buy-in'.

This varied throughout my placement. Sometimes I had a lot of things to do and some times I had a manageable workload. I never had too much that I couldn't cope and found it a lot better when I was busier instead of looking for things to do. Workload picked up as the placement went on and I took on more and more responsibilities which was very rewarding. However, my workload dipped significantly during the last couple of months due to not having a replacement which was a little frustrating.

I was given a lot of varied responsibilities. Over the internship I developed my own job role within the business and managed my own projects and project teams. I was also given responsibilities when involved in other projects and had a lot of deadlines to meet for senior management. Sometimes I was kept in the dark when issues occurred and they were immediately escalated.

The skills which I developed are endless. From transferable skills to new knowledge about the manufacturing industry, I have gained a lot and developed professionally and as a person. Going back to university, I have more motivation to do well and I have a experienced a lot of different scenarios which I believe I can draw back on and use practically in my coursework. Even the negative element, sometimes especially the negative elements, have helped me learn and develop. I have gained some real skills, knowledge and experience which will be with me for life.

The main office is quite spaced out which means that interaction with other people, unless in the direct vicinity, is hard so the office is very quiet. Everyone in the office is very friendly and if you were to want to speak to them or just get to know what their job role entailed then everyone is very accommodating.

The intern programme seemed very well organised from a company level. The training programmes, quarterly reports and other assessment or learning opportunities were constant and I really felt part of something instead of being left alone. Any issues were easily sorted through the HR contacts and I believe that everything from the assessment days to the milestone event was organised very very well. From a site point of view, there was room for improvement and knowledge and information regarding the interns programme needs to be fed down to sites more effectively. However, I was one of the first set of interns at my site and they were very accommodating to the needs of the intern programme and my university. Room for improvement but they will definitely have a better perception of what is needed for next time.

Training and development was a massive bonus. As a company, Eaton have an online virtual learning space where courses and opportunities are endless. My second manager and I sat down and he selected a lot of different courses which would help me. There was a lot of different training events which were spread about nationally in which external training coordinators were hired. I also was involved in almost every training event that was held at the site so the training and development opportunities are endless.

Working for Eaton is very appealing in the future. The company invest a lot of time and money in developing their employees and I would definitely consider a future with Eaton.

I lived with the other intern on site and we did a lot of activities outside of work.

Cost of living is reasonable and too expensive.

South Molton is very quiet and there is not really a 'nightlife'. It is not too far from big university cities like Bristol or Exeter in which there are more social opportunities. Not really any social opportunities organised through work.

I took part in a local 13km run but other than that there was nothing organised by the company. Didn't even do anything over Christmas.