Service Development Project Assistance Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at Panasonic, as I feel I was truly given an opportunity to get as much out of the time as possible. The position was new and therefore I was able to shape my responsibilities and focus to areas I was most keen on experiencing.

I worked as part of a small team of three, so consequently we worked very closely towards the same objectives. As a result of this, my work would always be recognised and I was able to see it contribute towards shared goals. I am regularly given additional responsibilities, and received many urgent requests for data.

I had a switch of manager, and also head of department, towards the end of the year- however I did not feel that the level of support and guidance was every affecting. Due to unforeseen circumstances I was required at home when my placement began, and this was met with reassurance that I could take as much time as needed.

As I'm sure with any job this regularly varied, and I was particularly less busy towards the final month due to organisational changes. However, for the most part I felt I was definitely utilised and there would also be days I was especially busy. If I was overwhelmed, I believe sharing of responsibilities between the team would be agreed.

I believe I was given a lot more responsibility than many other placement students experience. I think this is partly due to the nature of the position just starting, but also the team in part is there to analyse new directions and quantify potential changes. If there was something I was keen to focus on and could justify it, I was free to carry out my own work.

I was told by students coming back from their placements during my second year, they felt the level of development they experienced has helped them significantly in how they approach final year. I am very confident this will be the case for myself, and I feel my outlook on going in to the hardest part has changed for the better. In terms of after graduation, I feel very lucky to have the experience under my belt, and exceptionally equipped to find my perfect position and excel in the job.

The general atmosphere in my part of the office was very positive and cheery. Nobody wants to stare at their computer every second of the day, and everybody enjoys a chat every now and then. During stressful times at work where staff would be working towards deadlines, people would still be in good spirit and enjoy a joke.

Panasonic have a placement intake of around a dozen students, and I understand have been for quite some time. Therefore the scheme runs very smoothly, with handover taking place for two weeks. You are also given an incredible level of responsibility towards finding the next student in your position, being required to: process CV's and cover letters, carry out telephone interviews and organise and be part of assessment centres.

There are plenty of opportunities for training and development. Core areas include excel, email, presentation and software training, however if there is something offered that you are keen to take part on I believe you will almost always be added. In addition, if you wanted to develop in other areas of the business, for example Finance, as long as you had added value during your time- I believe you would be given that opportunity also.

Panasonic UK's office is fairly small, and within my department I think there isn't a great deal of room to add additional roles. However, through networking and creating good relationships I am sure if you were interested in other positions that arose you would have a considerable advantage. There are several members of staff that I understand are previous placement students, so it's definitely not impossible however.

I lived in Reading whilst on placement where housing is reasonably expensive. There is a reasonable amount of student housing so it's not too difficult to find accommodation, however as you will not arrange this until later in the year, you will likely get last pick. In hindsight we think we should have lived somewhere else, potentially closer to Bracknell, especially as Reading nightlife wasn't all that great. Most of the nicer bars would be London prices on drinks but no where near the same atmosphere.