Systems Analyst Review

The work placement was definitely enjoyable and incredibly eye opening, especially for a student with a technical background such as myself. A company as welcoming and exciting as National Grid was definitely a great place to start my career. Not only by all the things learned and the great times at the office, but also all the people I met during this time.

My colleagues helped me get involved right from the beginning of the year. This came in the form of both day-to-day processes and year-long projects. Also, I played an active role in producing a training package which helped inform other new starters of what my team do. This enabled me to learn more and deliver a core piece of work for my team which will provide a foundation for future projects.

I feel that I was well led throughout the year by my line manager, business coordinator and student coordinator. They gave me the right amount of one-to-one coaching and they were always there when I needed advice regarding my career development amongst other things. Furthermore, my team were also there to give me advice on how to tackle certain situations in the workplace.

The amount of work I had to complete increased as the year progressed. The beginning of year felt stagnant as I had to wait to gain access to certain parts of the system to complete my tasks. However, once this was complete the work began and there wasn’t a time where I felt that I had too much or too little work to complete.

I feel that as the year progressed my responsibility increased with my workload. As soon as my line manager and I felt comfortable that I could cope with a larger amount of responsibility it was then given to me. This came in the form of delivering projects that would improve decision making regarding risk and designing a tool to see how up to date my team’s skills were.

I feel that the year will massively improve my ability to perform well in my studies as well as assist me in gaining my charter ship. The role that I was assigned was directly linked to what I was studying at University and this was a pleasant surprise. This meant that I was able to both bring value to my team and learn at the same time.

The atmosphere was really good; my colleagues were talkative and were fine with having a conversation. The overall environment is really relaxed throughout Warwick and the building itself has a lot of smart working spaces available for you to get your work done. Warwick has a hot desking policy meaning that you can sit in a different spot each day which is really good for networking.

The year-long placement scheme has been set up to allow you to understand the business really well. As well as receiving training throughout the year from the National Grid Academy to develop my leadership skills, I also received specialised training from the department itself to help me further develop my technical skills.

There was a lot of investment being placed in me as a student. National Grid allowed me to develop whatever skills I needed to such as my ability to present. All it took to book this was a conversation with my line manager and business co-ordinator discussing why I felt it was important for me to do this and to draw up an action plan on how I will assess my development.

The industrial placement students may be offered a place on the graduate scheme if they perform exceptionally throughout their placement. The graduate scheme allows you to see other parts of the business though a six month broadening placement which I find very appealing as well two six month placements in your tagged area. If I was to be offered a position here I would accept.

Yes, all the placement students and colleagues were very friendly and were always having meals and taking part in other activities. The placement students always me up for lunch and I felt that this helped build a strong network within the organization. Furthermore, my colleagues in my business area were always having regular meals and I went to larger functions with the whole department.

As I commuted I did not feel the impact of living costs in the area as other students. However, I believe the monthly rent for some accommodations varied from £300-£500, so there is a variety in what you can get. However, if you are planning to commute by train I did then you can catch the free bus from the train station to National Grid House, the average time for single journey is approximately 10 minutes.

The nightlife in Leamington Spa and Warwick is decent with a few clubs and bars around. There is the University of Warwick nearby so you may bump into some students from there. There are also other graduates and apprentices from National Grid and other surrounding businesses that you can hang out with as well.

We have the corner club at National Grid House which informs you of all the clubs and activities that are taking place around National Grid; there are also loads of volunteering opportunities to get involved with also. Students and Graduates are always arranging site visits and visits to other offices as well as meals and other outings.