Service Business Planning Assistant Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement at Panasonic! I have loved the work and like the office atmosphere and environment. My department have been so welcoming and I really have felt like a member of the team. The role was exactly what I wanted to do and I have been allowed to make changes and really leave my mark on the work and role.

I have felt like a valuable member of the team, being trusted to take on more work and responsibility. As I got to grips with the role more and more people have come to me with questions and tasks, trusting me to complete it to the highest standard. At no point have I felt like a spare time to the team.

Panasonic provided all the necessary training needed for the different business software. My manager also always tried to help/point me in the right direction whenever I required further help. At the start, getting to required support was hard as my manager works part time so I was unsure who to take problems to. However, as I developed and got to know my team better, I was able to go to others to get the required support.

I was a lot less busy at the start of my placement compared to the end. At the start, I had work to do but I wouldn't have said I was busy. However, 5 months in my team member retired I suddenly found myself very busy having taken on all her work. Since then I haven’t stopped! But I prefer to be busy and have enjoyed the increased workload and responsibility that comes with it.

I have been given much responsibility during my placement, especially after my team member retired. I have been trusted to make decisions when my manager is off and make changes to the reports I produce. I have also been entirely responsible for training both my team member's and my placement.

As my role and my degree are both based around data analysis, pretty much all the skills I have developed during my time on placement are transferable to uni. My placement has allowed me to apply the theory I have learnt at Uni to a practical situation. I can then take my developed skills back to Uni and hopefully have a much better understanding of how theories could be applied in a future role.

The office is completely open plan, all staff (including managers) sit together. despite this, the office atmosphere is very relaxed and friendly. you feel you can approach anyone, including senior managers, and ask questions. At no point do you feel pressured or watched, and even though you can hear others from all around the office, it isn't noisy or distracting.

Overall, I think the Panasonic placement scheme is well organised. It provides each student with the appropriate training and support and offers you great opportunities to learn and develop. At no point did I feel that because I was a student, I wasn't respected and considered a true member of the team and company.

At the start of my placement, I was provided with external training of the major systems I needed to understand for my role, all of these were provided by the company. My manager has also invested much time and trust in me, allowing me to take on further work and improve reports/tasks without approval.

Panasonic unfortunately don’t currently have a graduate scheme so there isn't the opportunity for me to move from IP student to Graduate student. However, that doesn't mean there is no opportunity for future employment, there are in fact a handful of previous IP students employed across different departments. I will certainly be contacting my manager once I graduate to see if there is a job opportunity for me!

Panasonic put all IP students in touch with one another before we started and encouraged us to live together prior to us starting. Because of this, we get on as a group and organise nights out/weekend trips when possible. Panasonic doesn't have a social scheme in place so any social activities are organised between ourselves. However, departments do organise social activities which helps you get to know your team.

For me, the cost of living is expensive, but I come from the north so it was always going to be expensive for me! However, the salary has covered the cost of living and I have managed to save, it was more just a shock to the system moving south! Bracknell itself is having much development with a new shopping centre food court and many gyms. You are also only a few train stops from Reading and London so there are things to do in the area.

Bracknell's nightlife consists of bars and restaurants, for a more 'student nightlife' you are best to head to Reading. For me the nightlife is ok, Reading offers everything I want out of a night out, but I know some of the IP students say it isn't as good as Uni - I guess it just depends what you want and what you're used to.

Reading is a big city with a university, there are many opportunities to get involved in sports/clubs and societies, it's just a case of finding them. For example, I joined a gym and started swimming after work, my housemate joined the University Dance Society. Panasonic also but on lunchtime events, from product demonstrations to fitness health checks which are easy to get involved in.