Customer Operations Review

I enjoyed that opportunity to rotate around to different areas of the business. I feel as though this helped me to make the most of the year as I was able to get involved with multiple different projects. Some of the projects have been really exciting and have provided me with some invaluable experience however some of the tasks set were just basic admin tasks which were less enjoy but expected to be carried out as part of the role. However, its important to note that the role definitely isn't admin based, neither my scheme lead or line manger would've allowed it. The placement was made a lot more enjoyable by the friendly E.ON environment and colleagues.

I felt accepted by colleagues which I was working with, however, I think they sometimes struggled with what being an undergraduate meant and what work I was able to carry out. A lot of the time I felt as though my colleagues thought I was capable of a lot less than I am. More challenging piece of work weren't given to me unless I pushed to be involved. If I hadn't then I don't think I would've had half the amount of work that I did. I think colleagues within E.ON that are going to have direct contact with undergraduates would benefit by being educated about the scheme. When I produced a good piece of work I was congratulated but I sometimes felt as thought this was because they were surprised that I was able to complete the task

When needed I knew that I had the support from my scheme lead and line manager. Throughout placement as a minimum I had a weekly check in with my line manager and every two weeks with my scheme lead. They offered guidance and support for any challenges that I was currently facing as well as supporting me with university work.

My work load greatly varied, some days I had plenty of work and was busy from the moment I got into the office until I left and on other days I was struggling to find work. This was out of no fault of my own as I had reached out to members within the team, however, there was just no work available to give me. Therefore, during this time I focused on getting my university work completed.

This was one of the issues that I had whilst on scheme. Not nearly enough responsibility is given to undergraduates. Even at the end of my time on placement I feel as though I still trying to prove myself to get more challenging pieces of work. It feels as though colleagues don't want to hand over more challenging pieces of work because they don't understand the scheme.

The actual tasks I've done whilst on placement haven't had any link to my degree subject however the skills that I've learnt will be transferable to university work. Since being on placement I've been able to strengthen my CV and develop skills such as stakeholder management which I wouldn't have been able to do if I hadn't taken a placement year. My time management and IT skill have both greatly improved as they're a must in the workplace.

The atmosphere of the office in general was good. People were always willing to talk to you if you ask questions and want to find out more about their area of work. The office was already really friendly and chatty. I was quickly welcomed into the team. The office definitely isn't a quiet boring office.

I feel as though the scheme could've been organised a little better. During placement I had no idea when I'd be moving onto my next rotation neither could my work load be guaranteed. Before joining the scheme there wasn't much communication. HR could've been a little more involved with ensuring that all of the scheme leads were organised for our start date and in ensuring that wed have work when we first started that have clear learning objectives.

I believe that other E.ON schemes have been offered more training courses and development than this course has been. We were invited to attend one training course on management. I would've been exciting if we'd be able to visit international sites and events as other E.ON undergrads were able to.

From what I've learnt after talking to other people I think that the graduate scheme is a lot stronger than the graduate scheme I terms of investment and development. You're valued a lot higher as a graduate than an undergrad which what makes the idea of returning attractive. I haven't heard anything negative said about the graduate schemes.

We met up 3 times during the year for undergraduate away days. Socialising outside of these sessions was a challenge was we're not all based at the same sites. I think if we'd been more proactive at the beginning of the placement we may have met up a few more times but the real reason was just linked to differing locations.

I've been based in Nottingham for the year. As its a student city it hasn't been expensive and housing was easy to find. As a student city there is always plenty going on in the city so there's definitely the opportunity to get involved in things outside of working at E.ON

Being on placement is a lot different to being at university. You cant go out during the week. Its unprofessional to be turning up to the office with a hangover when you're expected to get work done and deal with stakeholders. It reflects poorly on yourself. I wouldn't pick a placement location based on the nightlife. Its well known that Nottingham has a good nightlife due to all the students but you don't get to experience much of this

There's the opportunity to get involved with things outside of work. E.ON make it really important that you have a good work life balance however E.ON doesn't actually have any activities that you can get involved with outside of work like sports teams. I think only one of the sites has a football team.