R&D Student Technologist Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed the placement year, gaining valuable experience in the industry, seeing how theory is put into practice and having a clearer understanding of what to expect from the final year at university and the career ahead. I would advise anyone who is thinking about a placement, to try their best to get onto a placement scheme.

The work environment was probably the highlight of the placement, as I was surrounded by people with great experience in the industry, meaning that I could learn from them on a daily basis. On top of their professionalism, they were welcoming and friendly throughout the year, making the placement year a very enjoyable experience.

Throughout the year, my supervisors were doing performance reviews every three months, on top of the weekly meetings in which we were discussing the work done during the week. Besides these meetings, they were always open for questions.

The year had a good balance of between being busy and having some time when things were not too busy.

As a student I had my own projects which I was leading, making own decision in regards to the next steps of the project. However, it is always good to discuss next steps with supervisors in order to make sure that those actions are worthwhile.

I would say that the placement helped me grow not only in a professional but also a personal way, and I am sure that the skills gained during this year will prove extremely valuable in my future career.

The atmosphere in the office was very lucrative and productive, each member of the team being highly efficient, despite the small number of people in the team. At the same time, this didn't prevent the office from having fun during times when things were not too busy, with a good balance between fun and hard work.

The placement had a defined structure with various milestone that had to be achieved during different periods of the year, which made the progress of the student during the year easier to follow. This also helps the student understand the structure of the year and the areas where the student has to work in order to improve.

The company was open towards teaching the student about different aspects of the company by organising cohort days, in which the students would visit different sites that the company operates. The student are also welcome to go on supplier visits, trainings with flavour companies and food shows organised across the UK.

The company organises graduate schemes across various positions such as finance, HR, procurement within the company, which creates some good employment prospects for graduates. As it is a well known company with strong brands, getting a graduate job with the company is appealing and I would recommend applying for one of those positions.

At the site where I was based, I was the only placement student, the other students being based at a different site. However, one can turn this into a benefit as they will be surrounded by more experience colleagues, that could contribute greatly to your placement experience. At the same time, the student will get the chance to meet the other students at the cohort days organised by the company.

As it was more of a remote area, the cost of living was lower than in other areas of the country which is a benefit, meaning that the student could save up during their placement, which would in turn help them during their final year from the financial point of view.

As mentioned before, the area was slightly remote and the nightlife was not as active as in other areas. However, in the close proximity there were several pubs where one could spend some time. The closest town has a bus service linked to it and it would be possible to catch the bus to get to a more active nightlife.

As different people have different interests there is no universal way of accomplishing everybody's needs. As mentioned before, due to the fact that the placement was in a remote area, the number of activities is limited, but there are multiple places the student could visit in the area or get active at the local leisure center.