Co-Packing Procurement Buyer/Analyst (Co-Manufacturing intern) Review

by pladis Global

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.7/5
  • The Role
    4.8
  • The Company
    3.8
  • The Culture
    2.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I am very much enjoying my placement year in pladis Global - I would never have thought of working in procurement until I took this job and I am now quite certain that I would like a career in that function. I would like to come back here after my degree is completed. It was also useful to see the practical applications of my degree, economics, and how theories worked out in real time

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt incredibly valued by my colleagues, and was treated like a full member of the team and held accountable as such. I don not feel I would have performed as well if I had been patronised and not treated like someone who had a job to do. Everyone here is lovely and very understanding in your first few months.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I was given excellent support from my line managers and senior management. I was taught business lingo, how to take notes, contract and price negotiations, how to deal with conflict, presentation skills, debating and persuasion, time management, prioritising tasks, and how to write emails depending on the rank of the recipient.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • Co-Packing is quite seasonal - over the Christmas period I was rushed off my feet - other times I would have a fair bit of down time but I would always have or find something to do which wasn't directly in my job description - I would help the wider function with spend and risk analysis, and help my team with building spreadsheets and presentations to be used in high-level meetings

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was the only person within the business who looked after co-packing - there was no real back-up. So, there was quite a lot of responsibility put on my shoulders which was a good thing - I had been hired to do a job, and I had to do it - there was no-one else, not even my line manager, who could do the stuff I did.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I believe the skills I learnt will be incredibly useful not only in second year but for the rest of my life - especially time management, presentation and prioritising tasks which will be incredibly useful when it comes to my dissertation and final year.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Everyone in the office is lovely - There was a top-level management change at Christmas time and the atmosphere really improved as there was more emphasis on accepting responsibility for your actions rather than just finding someone to blame. This was a marked improvement and the happiness of the office is increasing every month

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The initial induction was set up by the previous intern and I felt a little at a loose end, and almost abandoned. I have already competed several induction documents and have planned the induction period with my new line manager so hopefully the next intern will not have the same problem

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • We had several intern training days, which mimicked the Graduate Training Scheme. These were based in our various offices around the UK, and would include factory tours.

    3/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Subsidised Canteen

    Sports and Social Club

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    National Travel

    International Travel

    Company Parties/Events

    Above 25 days holiday

    5/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • In November, I was asked to consider applying for the Grad Scheme. A month ago, I was asked by mu boss' boss that, if I wanted to come back, he would look into Level 4 (Grad scheme level) jobs that he could put in a good word for me for. If you are good at your job, you will be asked to come back - and not just good at your job, you also need to be a good team player.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • I lived with two other interns at this company, but we didn't really get on. There's wasn't much of a social scene, but there is nothing really stopping interns and grads socialising. I just wasn't 'clicking' with the other interns. There were procurement social events, which mainly involved going for a meal. I enjoyed those as the whole procurement team were quite close knit.

    2/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • The cost wasn't bad - We were 40 mins from Paddington by train/bus and 30mins from Ealing Broadway. Rent was very high though and increasing due to Crossrail - my rent was half my monthly take-home and that was with sharing a house with two other people. Brunel Uni is just down the road, and they apparently have student accommodation we can use, but emails to them did not come back with a response to me.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Nightlife was not really around. I lived in West Drayton, which was 30mins from Uxbridge, which had a nightclub and a Slug & Lettuce. I was 23mins by train to Paddington, and 16mins to Ealing Broadway. We didn't really go out

    1/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • As in, standard activities to do that did not involve work? I think there was a gym in Uxbridge

    3/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Banking, Data Science, Customer Service, Economics, Logistics and Operations, Manufacturing

London

May 2017


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