Web Applications Developer/Business Analyst Review

I really enjoyed the placement, I experienced a real business working environment and learnt skills that I will take back to university and throughout the rest of my career.

I felt like I could always turn to anyone in my team for help, my colleagues were always supportive and also nominated me for an award.

I had a mentor who would regularly check up on things, be there to discuss any issues and offer advice. My line manager was always available and always very helpful in offering me guidance.

There would be periods of time where I was very busy with lots of different projects and different bits of work to complete. However, there would then also be other periods where I was less busy but still had work to complete and also admin tasks that needed doing.

I was given a lot of responsibility, I was in charge of developing, creating and supporting all of the local applications. These are applications that are used by many people in different locations.

During the placement, I was able to develop my programming and web development skills, including database design, these are skills which I will take back to university and will help me with my degree. I also was able to improve my communication skills, as I had to present on occasions and also convey important messages to people in and around the business.

The office atmosphere is always very postive where people are friendly and easy to approach. My team always kept the atmosphere lively and I enjoyed working with them.

The work placement was very well organised, it has been running for a good number of years and is embedded in to the Nestle working structure. There is also a 2 week handover with the previous placement, who trains you up and helps you settle in to the company. I felt this was really good as it helps to have someone of a similar age and someone who had recently been in your position a year ago, to help you settle in.

My line manager, mentor, colleagues were always there to help me with any issues, even when they weren't able to help me directly they would go out of their way to find someone within the company who could help me out. Also, I was able to travel to other branches of Nestle and other companies which gave me a broader understanding of business as a whole.

At the end of the placement there is only one place on the graduate scheme for this department, however, there are many graduate schemes within Nestle as it is a huge company. So even if I don't get on the graduate scheme, as I have lots of experience within the company I could always reapply for a job within the company (especially as Nestle now has an initiative to employ young people).

There are lots of placements/graduates within Nestle, we all meet up regularly and socialise outside of work. This creates a better working evironment as you get to meet people from all different departments and can meet up with friends at lunch time.

It is quite expensive to live/go out in York, however, if you are able to organise a house share then you can save yourself a lot of money.

The nightlife in York is really good, there are loads of restuarants, pubs, bars and two cinemas. As there are 2 universities in York the city has done well to cater for students and so there is always something to do.

Sometimes there are team nights out and Nestle organised events but this happens rarely.