This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
My placement year was based in the IT department at Vauxhall. The reasons why I enjoyed the year are because I was given real responsibilities, and was constantly kept on my toes. I was assigned many projects, and I am pleased my work was recognised by directors.
I was valued as a team member from the first day of my placement, as my colleagues supported me throughout my placement year. The department had a 'chilled' out environment, so I feel as if I fit into the team quite easily. Also, I feel as if I was valued as a independent colleague, as the team did not see me as a placement student. Instead, they treated me as a Vauxhall employee, which was good.
Each Vauxhall placement student is given a supervisor, who is outside of the team. I had regular meetings with my supervisor, to discuss any difficulties, or what has gone well. This was good, as I could discuss my thoughts with the supervisor on a one to one basis. My manager also provided me with support and guidance, as he had set my commitment targets at the beginning of the year. Through out the year, we would have meetings to show my progression towards my end of year targets.
One of the main reasons I loved working for Vauxhall, is that they always kept me on my toes. I had discussed with my manager at the beginning of the year that I want to be pushed, I remember saying "forward as much work onto me as you can, and when I feel as if I am struggling, I will let you know". This showed my manager I want to be challenged. As I was working with multiple projects, website management and dealer management, I was kept on my toes throughout my placement.
Another reason I enjoyed my placement...I was given real responsibility throughout my placement. There were times where my colleagues had to go out of office, and my managers felt confident for me to manage the department by myself, they would say "do not worry, Suman is here!" I also picked up responsibility within projects, which gave a huge impact to Vauxhall.
Each Vauxhall employee is required to take 30 hours of training per year. I was given many training opportunities, such as Agile project training. This was my favourite training that I had received, as I could relate this to my project management dissertation (as part of my degree studies). It was interesting to know which project management techniques Vauxhall use as a company. This will help me in the future, to understand how other company's may manage their large projects.
The Company
I would say the general atmosphere throughout the department is chilled out. Each colleague will focus on their individual responsibilities, however we tend to have fun conversations as well. For example, there were times my manager would come over and tell us some funny jokes.
I would say the placement year was organised well. From the time the previous placement student, passed his responsibilities onto me, and for when I passed my role responsibilities onto the next placement student, this transformation was well organised. Each placement student is given a 2 week handover period to hand over their role to the next placement student, however as my role is complex, I was given 6 weeks to teach my responsibilities to the new undergraduate.
As each employee is required to take 30 hours of training per year, this is counted as personal training and development. Training sessions, such as spreadsheet and database training, programming, project management and business based training were offered to me. I had tried to take part in as much training opportunities as I could. In terms of physical personal training, we had gym and classes available, however I chose not to take part, as I already had a gym membership else where.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Above 25 days holiday
Vauxhall do not have a set graduate scheme at the moment, however many placement students are asked to come back to Vauxhall. My managers and directors have hinted, they could possibly offer my a job after I graduate, however this is not 100% at the moment. I would love to work for Vauxhall in the future.
The Culture
At the beginning of the year, Vauxhall organise events for all new placement students, which helped us all to bond and become friends. This was good, as I remember being nervous not knowing who my placement colleagues were going to be. I had made good friends with other placement students, and we often went out for events throughout the year.
My eldest sister works near to where Vauxhall was, so I had chosen to live with my sister. This helped with costs, as I did not have to look for accommodation else where. I would say it is hard to control where your money goes, as I found it difficult to save my money in the first few months. However I started to limit my spending in the second half of my placement, to try to reduce costs.
This is difficult for me to rate, so I have left this one as a 5. I did not see much night life in Luton (where Vauxhall is based), as I was living in Watford (half an hour drive away). It was difficult for me to go out in Luton, as I would need to organise for accommodation.
Yes, Vauxhall do many events outside of work, such as golfing, bike rides, meals and many more. Many of these events are for charity, so it felt good to be involved.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
East Midlands
August 2013