Planning Assistant Review

Even before day one you are made to feel welcome within the organisation through the use of a 'Stay in Touch' day, where you spend time getting to know your cohort of Year in Industry students as well as meeting current students and getting the ability to ask them questions on their experiences etc. The Year in Industry programme at Boots gives you the opportunity to spend time working in stores where you really get to know what Boots is all about. On arriving at the Support Office in Nottingham, I was made to feel welcome and well-supported as I got settled into my role. I enjoyed the exposure it gave me to categories across supply and wider cross-functions, including stores and how this allowed me to build my personal brand. Ultimately one of the best things about the Year in Industry scheme is how at the end of it you could end up returning to University with an offer of a place on the Boots Graduate Scheme.

Very! Unlike in some companies where placement students are made to feel very seperate from the rest of the workforce, Year in Industry students at Boots are not treated like this at all. Instead you are made to feel (becuase you are) an integral part of the team. The work that I did across my time in role was recognised by colleagues and really makes you feel like you are making a difference in supporting the organisation.

Boots are absolutely brilliant when it comes to providing support to their Year in Industry students. Not only do you get great support from your line manager and team with regards to role specific stuff but you get the dedicated support from the talent team. Here you get great support on developing your soft skills through a mixture of residential away days, regular intervention sessions or simply a catch-up over a coffee.

Like any job there are peaks and troughs in how busy you are day to day. Where there are quieter periods it gives you the opportunity to get the jobs done that you never quite get round to doing day to day - or as I found, your line manager is always willing to pass some more work to you or gives you the opportunity to shadow other people within the organisation to aid your development. I found myself to be busy most of the time during my placement experience. Where I had pinch points in my capacity, I had to prioritise my work and had the support of my team to balance work across them.

You are not here to do the drinks round or make photocopies. Boots give you a real job. My role in supply chain gave me real responsibility and gave me exposure to a functions across the business. I was responsible for creating plans for key trading periods like Christmas. This involved laising and collaborating with various supply teams to create supply plans before then holding stakeholders to account to ensure that timescale were kept to.

While my area of the office wasn't the loudest, this gave you the ability to focus on work when you needed to. However this doesn't mean that there wasn't any atmosphere at all. We had a weekly quiz and cakes where we each took in turn to host. We also went out on social events as a team whether this was the Christmas Party or to watch T20 Cricket at Trent Bridge (followed by a few drinks out). Outside of my immediate team there are some great facilities and the ability to go and grab a cheaper than on the high street Starbucks or Costa. There is also a great variety of food on offer for breakfast or lunch.

There can be no doubt on the huge level of investment that Boots puts into its Year in Industry, from the attractive annual salary (one of if not the highest you'll find for any placement in the UK), the individual support that you get from a dedicated talent team, to the potential to leave at the end of your placement with a place on the graduate scheme once you have graduated from University. On arriving at Boots, you get support from your line manager in putting together a Personal Development Plan

Boots has a huge variety of career opportunities available - more than you would initially realise. As a Year in Industry Student you get the opportunity to explore outside of your immediate role and function to learn about the wider business. With regards to the graduate scheme, the opportunity to progress and gain additional responsbility is a real highlight. For instance, by the time you finish the graduate scheme you are anticipated to have been promoted twice from the level you start on whilst on the Year in Industry Scheme. In other words you are definetly seen as the future leaders of the organisation and time and resoucre is allocated to you to aid your development.

Year in Industry frequently live together in Nottingham City Centre. This helps to keep living costs down but also provides a great atmosphere, like living with flat mates at Uni. Year in Industry's regularly go out together in the evenings and on weekends, whether just for a quiet drink after work or to experience Nottingham's great nightlife. However, even if you decide to live at home and commute in as I did, you are not excluded at all. In work there is a real sense of community, where we will often each lunch together etc.

Nottingham is reknowned for being one of the best nights out in Britain. As a student studying as well as working in the city, I can vouch that there is something for everyone - whatever you taste in music etc. There are a variety of great places to eat as well from chain restaurants to unique boutique tea rooms. Nottingham is a student city too, which means that you can often have a great time for much less than you would have to pay elsewhere.