Safety & Environment Assistant - Ergonomics Review

Working at Boots UK was extremely enjoyable. This is the first experience I have working for a major business, so I went into quite anxious and not knowing what to expect. I was immediately put at ease. My expectations were blown out the water, everyone was so friendly, welcoming and supportive throughout the year.

I felt very valued by my colleagues at Boots. This came in a number of different formats. I received great in the moment feedback after delivering key project presentations or reports. Furthermore as my time went on at Boots I found more and more opportunities becoming available to me as people began asking for my specialist knowledge and assistance, this made me feel extremely valued.

I was given a large amount of support while at Boots. I had weekly and monthly 1 to 1s with my Line Manager which offered a great opportunity to share what I had been working on, seek assistance or discuss any issues I may have. In addition, there was a great support programme through the Year in Industry scheme, whether that be fellow placement students, a mentor or the scheme owners, the door was open to seek support.

My workload varied on a daily basis as I was mainly involved in project based work. This taught me to develop my time management and allowed me to work on a number of ranging projects at the same time, plan for the future and make the most of weeks when the workload was lower.

Within a couple of weeks of joining Boots I was given a project to carry out myself. This really helped me to find my feet quickly. Receiving so much responsibility early on made me feel very valued and engaged, increasing my aspirations to do a good job. Throughout the year I was offered support when needed, however I was left to my own devices on a number of projects and given scope to steer in the direction I thought best.

My placement year gave me first-hand experience applying the trades of my university skills. Not only did I implement skills and knowledge I had learnt during my first two years at University, I also learnt a huge amount that is relevant and will be extremely useful in during my final year studies.

The atmosphere at work was very pleasant. Upon arrival everyone in my team was extremely welcoming and friendly, and it immediately came across as quite a family environment. It was apparent that everyone in the team knew each other very well and were all fond of each other. It was a very welcoming experience.

The placement at Boots was extremely well organised. The scheme itself included a number of induction days that immediately put us all at ease, and enabled us to get to know the other placement students. Within my team, there was a personal development plan in place and a number of projects had been laid out for me to complete throughout the year, with room for other opportunities to crop up as I got to understand the business and what I personally enjoyed.

The company deeply invested in my personal training and development. There were a number of development days and training within the Year In Industry Scheme, and even more opportunities within the business to attend courses and training days. The personal development opportunities and investment is one of the elements that I found most enjoyable and beneficial at Boots.

Career opportunities are very appealing at Boots. The Year In Industry scheme is aimed at developing and feeding colleagues into the graduate programme scheme. The graduate programme itself appears like an amazing fast track opportunity and it is something I would be very interested in based on my placement year.

As a team, we went on team meals periodically throughout the year which offered a good opportunity to socialise out with the office. This was very dependent on what function of the business you were involved in, as this varied massively throughout the other placement students. Within the Year In Industry cohort, there were a number of team days and a residential which offered great opportunities to socialise outside the office.

Living and social costs were very reasonable. There are two Universities in Nottingham so there are plenty of student prices around. I was able to find accommodation easily, and there were opportunities to organise accommodation amongst the other placement students so you did not have to live on your own.

Nottingham nightlife was very good. There is a great array of pubs and bars that offer a mixture between class and cheap, whichever your taste is. There are a number of clubs as well, with two Universities in Nottingham you can still get your fix of student nightlife as well at the hustle and bustle of a busy city.

There were opportunities to get involved in activities after work such as 5 a side football. Outwith work, living in a large city such as Nottingham there are many different opportunities to get involved with sporting clubs or any other such activities that you are interested in.