Commercial Business Analyst Review

My placement at RWEST was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. From the get-go I was involved in projects and work that were challenging and engaging, and this theme continued throughout the year I spent with them.

Overall I felt valued by my colleagues; they would listen to my ideas even when my knowledge wasn’t at the same level as theirs.

My management was always available for me to talk through problems I was facing or to give me advice on what action I should take.

My business fluctuated with some days were busier than others, as you would expect. The days were usually as busy as you made them, and in general I had the right balance of busy without being swamped.

As the year progressed and I got further and further into the development of my main project, my responsibilities increased. Come the final few weeks, I was the point of contact for people from multiple departments if they had any questions to ask me.

Both my hard skills and soft skills have developed greatly, with an emphasis on my presentation and coding skills. These will be able to be used in both my final year of studies and my future career roles, as I am a lot more confident in the both of them.

A friendly and open atmosphere where going over and asking people questions was encouraged, yet you could also get you head down and work if you needed to.

Started the placement smoothly without many hiccups and carried on from there. Had a basic plan of what work I would be carrying out which became clearer as the year progressed.

Had a mid-year development day focused on a wide range of skills from feedback to presenting. There were also other courses you could take to improve other skills, although these had to be signed up for independently.

I shall be applying for the graduate scheme at RWEST.

I spent most lunches and a few days after work with my fellow placement students, but didn’t spend too much time with colleagues.

I can’t comment on this too much as I lived at home so tended not to view the area too much, but on the occasions I went out it was reasonably cheap.

The nightlife was not ideal, but there were pubs to go to.

There were a few activities available, such as various sports clubs.