IT Analyst Review

I really enjoyed my year with Vauxhall. I feel I've developed as an individual during my time here, in terms of interpersonal skills, IT and technical skills, and professionalism. My role has given me responsibility that will prove valuable in starting my career once I finish university.

My role is quite remote, consiting of me and another undergraduate reporting to our manager in Europe. My role involves working with many departments and individuals across Vauxhall, Opel, and sometimes GM, and the people who I worked with have always been grateful for the work I've done. I feel my colleague and I worked very well together and were valued by our manager for the work we did and the help we provided.

My managers have been brilliant. They've always encouraged me in everything I've done and pushed me to reach my potential and provided backup and support when needed.

It started quite slow but soon picked up. It got to a point where I was told by my manager not to take on anymore work despite pressure from customers needing work doing.

I feel like I was given a lot of responsibility during my time here. Most of my work involved working directly with internal clients so I've been responsible for the whole product lifecycle, from collecting requirements to supporting and training employees, and everything inbetween. I had weekly meetings with my manager to update him on project progress, but I've been responsible for all my work outside that.

The placement won't assist my studies too much, as it hasn't been too relevant, but I have HTML and JavaScript. My interpersonal and professional skills have developed grreatly during my time here. My communication skills have developed through talking via emails, instant messenger and over the phone on a daily basis when talking to colleagues and customers. My time management and organisational skills have improved as these are very important in my role. The presentations throughout the year and providing training have built my confidence in speaking in front of people, something which I previously struggled with.

Although my work didn't involve others in my department, I've gotten to know people from all over the company and built lasting relationships with many. People were always willing to talk to you and help if you needed, but the atmosphere was very productive when it needed to be.

Before we started we had an induction day where we met our cohort, undergrads and managers. This was followed by a day where we got into groups and looked for houses from a selection provided by Vauxhall. The year started out with a two-week handover period where I learned about my role, my work and people I would be working with. The handover also included scheduled activities in the local area such as pub golf, bar crawls and departmental meals. After this it didn't much feel like a placement as you're treated like everyone else. I was given training on things like giving presentations, Excel and safe driving. Everything has felt very organised from the day I started right up until this point.

I've had some training such as Excel training and giving presentations, which have been very useful for me. I do sometimes feel as though there had been a bit more in terms of developing me while I've been here, but a lot of development just happens over the course of the year without realising, so I can't complain too much

Despite a very well established placement scheme, there is no "graduate scheme" in place. Graduate employment with Vauxhall depends on whether there are any jobs available, so it's definitely not clear as to whether there will be any opportunities.

With roughly 100 students on placement with Vauxhall there was something going on most weekends whether it be a party, going out at night, or some other activity in the local area. There hasn't been much organised in terms of going out as a department, but between undergrads it's been really good.

My house was £300 a month and bills was less than £30 a month so it's quite reasonable.

Not the best. There's only a handful of places to go, none of which were very appealing. The only thing that made it good was if we got a lot of the undergrads out at once. However, with Watford, St Albans and London a train ride away, there's some great places to go if you're willing to travel.

It depends what you're into. The undergrads play football every week and some of the lads got a team together in a local league. I just feel as though there's not much to do in Luton.