Project Co-ordinator Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Co-operative Group from day one to my last day. I have grown and developed so much during my time here and I am thankful for the opportunity. The knowledge and experience that I have gained over this year is already giving my final year direction and context. It will also give me an edge against other students when I begin applying for graduate schemes over the next few months.

The team I was working in were a close-knit team with strong team bonds. I was instantly welcomed in to the team and made to feel like a valued team member. I worked alongside a number of senior project managers within the team who were keen to get me involved in their projects and share their knowledge.

During the early days of my placement, my line manager and I would meet on a weekly basis for a catch-up however this became a monthly catch-up as I felt more settled in my role and weekly catch-ups were unnecessary. I also assigned a buddy within the team whom I could discuss any issues on a day-to-day support.

My workload varied throughout my placement depending upon the workload within the team. Within my first few months, the project that my line manager had planned for me to work on was cancelled due to budget changes. This cancellation meant that workload was considerably low during the first few months of my placement. However, it quickly grew and steadied out. The role of a project co-ordinator within the team was new and I think this impacted additionally during the early days of my placement as the team were unsure of my role and what I should and shouldn’t be working on. Once I became known and trusted within the team, I became more aware of what I wanted to working on and the team became more open with work requests for me, allowing me to build up my work portfolio. My line manager and I would regularly review the tasks and projects that I was working on to ensure that workload is balanced. This would also be a good chance to get guidance and advise on how to progress with any projects that I may be facing problems with.

I project managed a number of projects on my own and during these times I would have responsibility for delivering it on time and within budget.

During my placement at the Co-op, I attended numerous training courses that not only helped me to develop and improve in my role but will also benefit me in my final year when I am back at university. Below details, some of the training courses I attended – Microsoft Project IT training course (August 2011, 2 days) This was a new piece of software to me that would prove to be extremely useful for putting together task list and project plans. The course provided me with the basic knowledge of how to productively use the software. Conflict management, negotiation skills and presentation skills (September 2011, 1 day, undergraduate training day) This was a Leading Edge training day who are the charitable arm of IGD providing training and learning resources for people working in the retail industry. Effective Communication Skills (November 2011, 1 day) This course was focused upon learning what your individual communication methods are and how to recognise the methods of those around your in order to adapt your approach to get the best out of people. Working in a Project Environment (December 2011, 1 day) This course provided me with an overview of project management to aid my understanding of how projects work and equipped me with tools and techniques to enable to contribute effectively to project delivery. Leading Successful Projects (February 2012, 2 days) This course provided me with an in depth understanding of project management and the Trading Group methodology in order to successfully lead projects. Assertiveness at Work (March 2012, 1 day) This enabled me to understand the differences between assertive, passive and aggressive behaviour, showing how this helps and hinders relationships and productivity in the workplace. Employability Workshop (April 2012, 1 day, undergraduate training day) This workshop provided me with hints and tips for all stages of the recruitment process including CVs, application forms, interviews and assessment centres with the Co-operative graduate scheme as the focus. This will help when applying for graduate schemes and jobs once I finish my degree. Presentation Skills (June 2012, 2 days) This course was one that both my line manager and I thought would be extremely helpful for when I return to university and for my future career. The course showed me how to properly structure a presentation following the rule of telling your audience what you’re going to tell them (through introductions and objectives), tell them and then summarise what you just told them.

The team were very welcoming with a strong team bond and work ethic. The monthly team lunches and regular team meetings were extremely beneficial for building a team bond, despite the team working across multiple locations on a day-to-day basis. They also meant that it was easy to settle in and find my place within the team.

My placement was well organised.

As previously mentioned, the Co-op invested heavily in terms of the training courses that I attended as well as that of the time given by my colleagues.

I was offered a two-month extension of my 12-month placement, which took me through till September. Through being on the undergraduate placement scheme, I have the opportunity to bypass the early recruitment stages of the Co-operative graduate scheme recruitment meaning that I progress straight through to assessment centre.

Prior to starting our placements, we were invited to a meal with a group of current graduates at the Co-op as well as the quarterly graduate social so it was easy to get to know people. During the early days of our placements, the other placements students and myself would meet regularly for lunch. However once we were all settled in our roles, we were often too busy for this. Within my team, we would go for monthly team lunches as well as the odd night out with cocktails.

Whilst on placement, I lived at home in South Manchester and commuted to work so cannot comment on cost of living. Costs of socialising in Manchester are no doubt any different to other Northern cities. You can easily have a brilliant night on £40 which is a student dream.

The head office complex was based in the city centre and so all the bars and restaurants were right on our doorstep. A particular favourite of mine is the Northern Quarter of town which is full of quirky bars, restaurants and shops to explore.

The Co-operative had a strong sports & social club who sold event tickets as well as advertising charity events held by the organisation. There was plenty to get involved with. In addition to this, the graduates managed a charity called the Community Youth Fund and as undergrads, we were encouraged to get invovled, organise charity events and get invovled.