Power Academy placement studen Review

The work placement involved a project with a real life application, which was quite interesting to work on.

Colleagues were always happy to help with any problems relating to the work placement. Though working in a small team there wasn't that much interaction with people as I would've maybe hoped.

Manager was very supportive and provided a clear set of objectives and helped me achieve them. Checked on my progress weekly and made me feel part of her team.

The project involved working with software to achieve a set of results. The timescale for this was rather laid back so I never felt particularly busy.

The results of my studies might be used in the future so not completely worthless data, though not the most important either.

I learned to use important software in the industry and had a chance to develop core soft skills by giving presentations and working on problems for instance.

The workplace employs smart workspace system, so there is a lot of hotdesking (generally speaking you can sit where you want), though more often people tend to have their own areas where to sit. As I was working on my own project quite individually I didn't interact with too many people except to ask questions if I had any or to talk with my manager.

You worked out your objectives and deliverables with your manager and could talk about your progress with your manager quite often. There was also an aspect of personal development involved, as part of the placement involved reflecting your own skills and abilities and how you could develop them during the placement.

I learned to use some important software and gained further undestanding in topics and issues surrounding the industry. There was also a few site visits involved so you'd get a bigger picture on the industry. Though this could be improved by introducing more site visits and talks rather than sitting in the office.

The company has quite a lot and wide range of opportunities to apply for. These range from strictly technical to more business oriented positions. The company is a solid employer though there's certainly companies that can offer a bit more as well.

There are quite a few placement students so we organised something quite frequently to do with the group.

The main town, Leamington Spa is quite expensive to live in, and frankly, quite a boring town. This was probably one of my main downsides for the placement.

There's a few bars and nightclubs in town, though they are quite expensive and as the variety isn't that great, boredom sets in quite quickly. We ended up doing other things with the group of placement students over going out quite often .

The company offers a range of sports clubs to be active and meet new people as well as an on-site gym.