Industrial Trainee - Solids Formulator Review

Overall it was an amazing experience with lots of enjoyable moments. I struggled a bit with the placements location and adapting to the south when I have only ever been in the midlands. The work itself was hard but fun and indicated how a real job would be. It was a really good placement.

At first it was a bit scary and worrying how to act but my colleagues soon became really good friends. Some colleagues ask me for my opinion on subjects due to my project and truly value the opinion I give. My opinions are always listened to and taken into account when making any decisions. It felt like I was a full time colleague of Pfizer for more than just a year.

Although my supervisors were both busy with their own work they would still make time where possible to catch up with me and help me with any issues I had. Every week we would have a meeting to discuss the previous week and figure out where to go and solve any problems I was having. Great support however sometimes the supervisors were too busy when I needed them.

I often found myself with many tasks to complete in a short time frame. Most of my time I was always working in the lab and hardly got time for a rest due to the volume of work I needed to complete. There were times though when I didn't have much to do and got bored at my desk trying to find things to do or read whilst waiting for my supervisors to review previous work. I was usually just slightly too busy so never got a chance to breathe.

Lab work was under my control for when I did it and how I completed the tasks if no standard test method was set out. I was in charge of how I completed things with my opinions being important in how we moved forward on the project. I was not in full control due to my supervisors having more experience in how projects worked so the direction of the project was largely down to my supervisors. However once decided what direction to move in the work itself was up to me to take full responsibility for.

I have learnt so many skills and techniques this year both personal and technical that will advance my studies and work in future. The technical skills will help my studies as they back up the theory that is learned at university and I feel I have a deeper understanding of many pharmaceutical aspects. The technical skills and training received will also be invaluable for applying for jobs as I understand and have used some key techniques and know the high level of training required for safety and technical reasons. Working for a year developed personal skills like communication which will help in all aspects of my life.

The office was open area and I was placed next to other industrial trainees like my self and apprentices. This helped us settle in and build up some great friendships. We often had a laugh in the office and outside at tea which helped to brighten up the day. However it wasn't too loud at our area or too much fun as we all knew when we needed to get work done. Due to it being an open plan area other departments were often noisy which sometimes made our group a little irritated however the general atmosphere was a very enjoyable one.

The majority of the placement was well organised with little issues occurring. The placement runs well as a scheme and they try to help in every way possible. However there were some small miscommunications between the company and myself regarding my supervisor, getting settled since my supervisor was away for the first week of my placement and also what my project was. However all this was sorted out quickly and no major issues caused.

The company held special events throughout the year for personal learning and development. The company send out invites however due to the work load of most of the trainees it is usually very hard to attend the events. More effort could be made to support the trainees and full time employees in the personal development side.

The company is a high profile company with some very dedicated and experienced staff. I believe any employment options to work at Pfizer would be through a contractor agency. Working for Pfizer would be an amazing job prospect however I believe a good education and experience would be invaluable.

The other placement students sometimes had events however would not always invite my house for reasons unknown. Our house often did more as a house and with other colleagues such as outings to the cinema, nights out in deal or Canterbury or even nights in with games. Most social events were around peoples birthdays. There are opportunities to do more social events however the area limits what sort of things can be done.

Prices are quite expensive down here which can be a turn off for socialising. The cost of living isn't too bad when sharing a house. The rent is a reasonable price for where I lived and the bills were alright considering how much we got paid for working. The major down side is the prices for everything else such as food, cinemas and drinks to name a few.

The nightlife in Ramsgate and sandwich is appalling. There are only really bars to go around which seem spread out unless you are at the beach front. For nights out you have to go to Canterbury which is expensive to get back from after midnight. The nightlife in Canterbury is quite good however it is very expensive.

It would depend on your interests. I found some hockey clubs I could have joined with some of my colleagues. I also joined an exercise class after work with some of the other IT students. My friend found a skate park that she enjoyed going to. However I think options are limited as most people only found sporting opportunities to join.