Industrial Placement Student Review

I enjoyed the nature of my work and the challenges involved in my project. I also enjoyed being part of a welcoming and supportive group and part of the wider network of GSK. The atmosphere around the site made for a great working environment. I enjoyed the social and professional opportunities to network with people at various stages of their careers and in various areas of the business.

I felt that the project I was given was valued by the group and had potential applications to the wider business as a whole. I felt I was given responsibility fairly early on and given the chance to share my findings both with other immediate group members and at wider meetings. There was clear interest from the members of my group in my work as well as my personal development as a young person in the field. I also appreciated being offered the chance to collaborate with other team members and departments on different types of projects.

I was given effective training and supervision throughout my placement which enabled me to develop technical skills, critical thinking, time management, experimental planning and presentation skills. My supervisors were very approachable and willing to provide helpful, detailed feedback. My supervisors were also friendly and agreeable as people, made me feel welcome and contributed to my enjoyment of the placement as a whole.

The scope of the project allowed me to keep busy on a daily basis and challenge myself. I was given the responsibility to plan my own work schedule for the majority of the project, under the direction and accountability of my supervisors. The project allowed for a mixture of activities so I was able to have a good balance of varied lab work as well as desk work, engaging a variety of skills.

I worked largely supervised for the first month of the project and was then given more responsibility. The first four months of the placement did involve a lot of technical training and adjusting to the way of working and the demands of the project. But after this stage I was fully independent and able to plan my own experiments and work to my own schedule. My supervisors were available for any advice or direction I needed and I felt I was effectively equipped to take responsibility for my project.

Throughout this placement I developed a range of technical skills and got the chance to use cutting edge equipment which, will be vital for future studies and a future career in science. I have witnessed how theoretical knowledge acquired in my studies so far can be applied to real life industry. I have developed key transferable skills such as critical thinking and data analysis as well as time management, experimental planning and presentation skills.

Clean, quiet, brightly lit and open plan which contributes to a positive mind set. Comfortable, ergonomically designed desk spaces which have enabled me to concentrate and work efficiently. Close proximity to colleagues means social catch-ups and professional collaborations are easy to arrange. Whilst some people can be loud or irritable and snide with others in the office, the overall atmosphere was positive.

Fairly well organised although there were some issues over assigning clear work packages to the students within my group. The organisation responsible for employing the placement students at GSK could sometimes be difficult to get hold of.

I felt GSK as a whole invests highly in their student recruits. I had the opportunity to be trained on a number of pieces of equipment and work in a cutting edge lab space as well as collaborate with other groups and learn from other areas of the business.

I enjoyed working at GSK and felt reassured by their ethics, values and priorities as a business. I would consider working for them in future.

There have been plenty of social opportunities to interact with other placement students as well as colleagues in my group, both informally as well as organised by GSK / SRG.

Both rent and social activities in Stevenage are very affordable.

Okay if you knew enough people. Proximity to London made up for what Stevenage lacks.

Gym and sports clubs and social groups although I did not join any.