Project Management Assistant Review

I was encouraged to prioritise the development of my skills throughout my placement and was given a lot of responsibility as soon as I joined to develop me further. There were many opportunities presented to me to develop myself and I was encouraged to regularly review my future plans with my line manager.

From the first day I felt like I was part of the team, I was given a position title and told not to refer to myself as 'the placement student'. Over my placement, I became much closer to my team and was able to ask for help and provide help to them.

I was always encouraged to ask anyone questions, whether in the office or during a meeting. Additionally, I had regular 1 to 1's with my line manager to review work, skills I needed to improve and further opportunities. I was also assigned a mentor who I was able to discuss career goals and decisions I needed to make after my final year at University. I believe there was a lot of support available to me over the placement period.

This fluctuated, there were times where I was extremely busy and felt the need to come to work early or stay late. There were never periods I felt bored or I had nothing to do, however sometimes I felt like I was able to take on more which would in turn improve my skills. However, I was able to discuss this with my line manager who quickly resolved the issue of wanting to take on more.

I was given a lot of responsibility, especially when managing my own project. However, I always felt like I could go to my line manager to ensure I was following the correct processes.

Even though some of my new knowledge is only relevant to the railway, the majority of the skills I have gained will be of use in my future career and during my final year at university. I have attended some training sessions to improve skills such as leadership and management.

There were many teams in the office, my team were very friendly and got on well. I also spent some time with the other teams who enjoyed after work events and socialising.

I always felt like I had something to do, was constantly improving my skills and knew who I could speak to if there was an issue so I believe it was well organised. The tasks I was originally set did change, however I understand this is to be expected in this fast paced working environment.

I was provided many opportunities through placement events, Network Rail did however offer me training to become a mentor, gain a Project Management qualification and take online courses to improve my knowledge on company processes.

I have been advised to apply for the graduate scheme, however there is no guarantee I will get this.

I was the only placement student in the team, however I regularly went to social events. I hosted a couple of charity events in the office where I got to know people and the Team Organisers also hosted many events, such as Charity pub quizzes.

As I was in the same location as where I studied the previous years, I knew where to live and stayed in student accommodation. It was not too expensive.

The night life is not great, however there are some lovely places to go.

There were some charity events to get involved in and a running club every week.