Industrial Placement Student Review

My role didn't have a day to day work plan. Working in the factory meant that my days were always spontaneous and meant I didnt know what to expect on the day. I would always have regular talks with my line manager and the team I was working with on my projects. Sometimes I would go to another part of site, if my projects required me to. Most days, I have a call with the project team daily to get a work plan ready for the next part of our project.

As I am part of manufacturing, I was able to get some practical training where I was taught how to navigate around machines and work in them safely. In my role, I did a lot of communicating and presenting and so developed my soft skills and my confidence in meeting new people and creating connections within my work area. Outside of my specific role, I looked into other skills like IT/ Programming, Microsoft Office and Leadership skills. I took online learning courses for things that would interest me when I had some focus time at work.

Towards the end of my placement, I was given a big site-wide projects where In some cases I was played the leader role. This meant me needing to connect with other departments, some of which I haven't talked to/ interacted with before, and get their insights on the projects I would be working on. I was given some mentorship roles in the beginning of of my role, this helped me bring up my confidence but also helped my work area ideas of improvement of process or jobs. A lot of my time was spent independently learning and skill gathering on areas where I think were important for my development. This meant my work plan was very much up to myself, and it was down to me what I wanted to get out of the day.

I had a lot of access to mentorship, coming into Unilever, we were given buddies who we were able to contact and get advice when starting out. My Line Manager really helped me get comfortable in the work environment and helped me get tours around the site so that I got the most of what I can see while I was there. In the work place, everyone was helpful, if you had any queries, or trouble it was easy to go up to someone and get help, if they weren't able to, they would advice the person they think is the most helpful.

The company culture was very friendly and was quite diverse. There was a lot of inclusivity, in the area of work I was in, it was very male- dominated, but while I was working, they made me feel welcome at work and would always be happy to include me in things that may be of interest for me. As part of the Placement we were given development teams, and in these teams we would take part in voluntary events, we would be able to connect with other schemes this way and create new connections. There were plans for social nights out on a Friday after work which was a good way to end the week too.

I enjoyed my placement a lot. I made a whole lot of new connections and was able to explore an area of an industry I was interested in for my future career. My team and colleagues helped me settle in and become comfortable with the work environment. It exceeded my expectation; I was able to see real production process and help optimise them an be able to understand them in great detail. I was able to interact with machines and work with them, which I didn't expect. Personally, I would come back, I really enjoyed my time while here.

Yes

My advice is to have your mind open when you come into Unilever, you may be placed somewhere where you don't expect it but it'll be down to the person what they get out of it. In the interview, it is important to be yourself, this gives the interviewer how you are as a person and what type of person you'll be at work. In the assesment centre, be proactive and a team player, it might not go as you planned but it's best if you are flexible in your mind.