HR Talent and Learning Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at JDE; the variety of work, the skills taught, the responsibility given and the culture of the business was all fantastic. I couldn't have asked for a better introduction into my career and the business world.

I always received positive feedback and helpful advice from colleagues across the business units. Everyone was also always willing to help and advise, and I felt like a real employee. My work was important enough to be valued. I had to write a dissertation for my university as part of my placement and the support I got from the business within surveys and interviews was brilliant.

My manager was always on hand to give me support and guidance when I needed it, but pushed me to work things out on my own too; it was a perfect balance. I felt like I could ask any of the wider team for help if I needed it, they were always willing to support. We set objectives and a development plan at the start of the year and had a mid year review of this, to make sure I was on track.

I did have busier periods throughout the year, due to the nature of my role, but I never felt too overwhelmed. JDE encourages their employees to switch off their laptops at the end of the working day. When I had slightly less work on, I was encouraged to do e-learning and training to support my development, or take on some tasks outside of my job role.

I felt that quickly after starting, and getting to grips with my role, I was trusted by my manager and the business to take on a lot of responsibility. By the end of the placement I did not need to constantly check in and ask my manager and could lead projects alone- I had grown confidence to be responsible for my work. Having said that, my manager was always on hand to check with if I needed.

I definitely developed skills for life and learnt an incredible amount during my placement year. I got exposed to all areas of HR, both generalist and specialist. The training opportunities at JDE are excellent and there is always space to grow and develop yourself if you are motivated to do so.

The Hurley office has a very friendly atmosphere, you could sit down for lunch or a coffee with any colleague from the business. Interns are welcomed and associates are always interested to learn about what they do. I did not work in the Banbury office but there was a similar friendly atmosphere, due to the great culture at JDE. Whenever I visited, associates recognised me were welcoming.

The placement was well structured, with all interns having objectives, development reviews, and end of year presentations to the senior leadership team. HR had feedback sessions mid way through the year to spot concerns and make improvements. Student Charity is a scheme for interns to get together to fundraise; in theory it is a great teamwork, leadership and project management. There could be improvements but HR know of this.

Training and development is a priority at JDE and there is a online learning platform with thousands of courses and trainings. Every employee goes through an amazing personality training course which most interns say is the highlight of their year- this helps you learn more about yourself and others at work and in your personal life.

I would love to return to JDE in the future, maybe after getting experience in another company to get some different exposure. There is no grad scheme at JDE but a few interns have returned into entry level roles recently.

There are only 8 interns in Hurley so, although we tried to socialise, there isn't a big cohort. There are 24 interns in Banbury and because they shared accommodation, they had a better social circle. You don't socialise out of work much with other colleagues apart from team dinners and leaving drinks. Maidenhead/Reading has good pubs, bars, restaurants and things to do.

Maidenhead is expensive to rent a room/house, as it is near London. I would recommend living in Reading as there is more to do, more choice of accommodation and you can still get to London easily. Banbury is much cheaper to live, but further from London.

Reading is a student town so there are many bars and clubs. Maidenhead has pubs but only 1 small club. You can get into London Paddington easily if you want to access better nightlife.

There is many volunteering opportunities offered with JDE, but not much else. I think there are a few informal sports teams but I didn't really hear about them.