Fleet Communications Coordinator Review

I've really enjoyed my time at Vauxhall and have enjoyed it more, the more I progressed through my placement and as my confidence has developed. It wasn't necessarily 100% related to my degree and what I want to do moving forward but I have been educated in different areas of business management and feel that its helped develop my personal skills.

I felt extremely valued within my team, over the course of my placement I have been given real responsibility and work tasks which have contributed to the sales for the business. Although very nervous when I first started, the whole of my team were incredibly supportive and welcomed any questions I had (even if I did have to ask the same ones more than once!)

Every undergraduate at Vauxhall is appointed a mentor within the first two weeks of them starting. This mentor is someone who is outside of your team and usually outside of your department which gives you the opportunity to express any concerns you may have to someone impartial. It varies between mentor/mentee but you can usually meet up once a month for a catch-up if required. At the beginning of my placement I was given a lot of support and guidance by my team in helping me understand the knowledge and language used for my role. As my roles developed and placement has progressed the support has still be as strong but the guidance has lessened as you're trusted to take tasks on yourself and put your own creative spin on things.

The first six months of my placement (July - Jan ) were very steady with a nice flow of work coming through which really enabled me to get to grips which the role. This is also the preparation period for a lot of the event which occur in the Summer. From April the Fleet events season really kicks in and I spent a lot of time out of the office, which meant I had to balance my workload more carefully around when I was/ wasn't in the office. Towards the end of my placement I have been extremely busy as I've taken on extra projects to get more involved and help make positive marketing progression for the business.

I feel like the responsibility given to me during my placement was more than I was expecting. You get real jobs which make real impacts to the business and its running! Quite frequently work was requested from me which would be sent and used by directors, which would be customer facing documents and also feature in fleet specific publications and event show guides. I was also allowed to re-design aspects of the website with control over the layout which mean my designs are accessed by thousands of people each year. As the year progressed my responsibility levels increased as I grew confident within my role.

My degree is more specifically Events Management, so helping plan, set-up, run and then analyse the events gave me an insight into the corporate event world which I had never previously considered, so that aspect of my role helped develop my skills immensely. Vauxhall also offered me the opportunity to shadow the events department and also spend a day at our external events company which has allowed me to have an insight into events both on the client and agency perspective. However, the other half of my role is the marketing aspect which isn't necessarily related to my degree studies but has offered me a wide variety of in-depth knowledge around the subject which will be beneficial for me when applying for graduate opportunities.

I felt from the moment I started that the atmosphere within the office was relaxed and one whereby I could openly ask for help without feeling worried or intimidated. My team and the department were all very welcoming, birthdays are openly celebrated (with a lot of food!) and I have genuinely enjoyed coming into work everyday for the last year. However, that being said, the workload is often more tense around the end of quarters where registrations and pricing may change so it always tends to be a bit quieter around then.

The placement was extremely well organised from the moment I began the application process until leaving after finishing for the year. Before officially starting we were invited for two open days which allowed us to understand where we would be based when we started, to meet our teams and to also find housing within the local area. Once we started we had a handover period with the undergraduate who we would be replacing which I felt was hugely beneficial in helping get to grips with the role. During this period there was also social activities every evening which were optional but also allowed you to get to know your new work colleagues. Upon leaving the organisation, you are responsible for creating a handover guide which details your role responsibilities and how to conduct them for your replacement which you need to finish alongside your work.

The company invest time with you for your personal training and development through what the company calls CAP objectives. These are your personal goals and development processes which are set for you at the beginning of your employment. These are reviewed regularly and then time is spent with your line manager to go through both of your feedback and create a plan of action to further your progression moving forward. Alongside this, my manager understood that my degree and interest was within the events industry and therefore set up me spending time with the events department and also at our external agency. They also allow you to shadow other undergraduates within different departments of the business so you can gain an understanding of other business processes.

Depending on whether there was a role which I feel I could be beneficial within then I would definitely consider returning back to Vauxhall. It's a fantastic British automotive company with so much potential and exciting progressions up and coming. The work and your commitment to the company will show throughout the year and your placement year really does effect whether the company feels you will be beneficial and suitable for further employment.

With over 80 other undergraduates based at the headquarters, Griffin House and more based at the Warehouse and Luton Plant there are loads of undergraduates around to do things with. The housing is also organised so that you can share with other undergraduates - it's like university all over again except you all get up and go to work instead! As mentioned before there is a handover period for when you begin with activities organised for every evening which are all optional to attend which allows you to get to know everyone and then a handover period again on your departure to welcome in your replacements and say goodbye to colleagues. Also within my department we also had a Christmas party and have gone out for drinks in London on half days and bank holidays- there are a lot of opportunities to socialise.

Luton is a fairly cheap area to work and live within especially considering that is is fairly close to London. You can find alright student houses for fairly cheap rent per month and some even have bills included. Although I would advise you look into the area you're thinking of moving into as there are some areas with higher crime rates within Luton. However, only a very short car or train journey away you have Harpenden and St. Albans which are very nice areas with loads of restaurants and bars to go to as well as nice parks etc. They are well worth a visit and spending your weekend there.

Luton nightlife is terrible! There was one main club- Liquid/Envy which has actually just shut down. This leaves you with Wetherspoons, Yates and some other pubs - so perfect for pub golf! However, as mentioned before, Harpenden and St.Albans are a short taxi/car/train journey away which have places which do nice cocktails and some clubs.

Vauxhall are the current sponsors of the Home Nations Football teams so as an employee there is the opportunity to attend the matches but at discounted prices. The internal communications team also regularly offer competitions which offer experiences for the employees. You're also allowed to participate in one Corporate Social Responsibility day at a local charity/business instead of a day in the office - I spent my re-doing the garden in a local children's hospice.