Undergraduate Placement Student Review

Freedom to choose my own modules was great however once in a department there was a lack of planning in what I would learn. It was very much my own responsibility to decide the areas I wanted to cover and maintain my progression in each module.

All colleagues were friendly and approachable no matter of their position in the company. You are introduced to everyone by your line manager when joining a department which makes it really easy to talk to people. All work I completed felt like it was valued and I was definitely made to feel part of every team.

I could contact my Regional Training Manager and Head Office Placement Supervisor if I needed any help or had any questions, they were brilliant and would answer my queries as soon as possible. I didn't see these people on a day to day basis though so in general I tried to solve any problems or issues myself, which helped to become a stronger individual.

In stores the pace is fast and you need to work as a team to get things done so you were always kept busy. In the RDC there are numerous different projects to help with so you are never bored.

In store I was given responsibility up to an Assistant Store Manager level. In the RDC I covered the Freshness Development Consultants role when they were away.

I have developed so much not only in hands-on experience within a business but in personal confidence and understanding. I am more confident handling difficult situations and being out my my comfort zone which will benefit me in both education and work in the future.

Everyone was aware that I was a student so it did take a little time to prove to my colleagues that I could do a good job. After settling in I felt more confident to offer my own ideas and opinions, also asking questions no matter how silly I thought they may be to ensure that I understood roles and tasks to my best ability.

The Placement is set up in great detail, you are given a huge folder of information before you begin including names of important people in the company, the module choices on offer and a calendar of the year so you know exactly what will happen. Some departments had never come across a Placement Student before and didn't know what the role entailed so I did a lot of explaining about my role but I made sure that I was always learning something new as it was my responsibility to not get stuck doing the same thing every day.

I feel like the company has invested so much into my training and development for an Undergraduate Placement. I have been given great opportunities and made a lot of great contacts in the company. The fact I chose my own modules throughout the year meant that my experience was completely personalised and by doing this I was able to spend as much or a little time in a department as I wanted.

The Graduate Programme seems very appealing and I am definitely considering it for the future.

I met up with other Placement Students across the UK on numerous occasions and we did spend some time together however there wasn't much of a social scene as we only saw each other for a couple of days at a time.

I lived with Parents so the cost of living was a minimum. I did travel over an hour to work each day during some modules as offices are within the RDC so travel time should be considered.

There wasn't any social outings other than the Christmas Party which was fully expensed which was great but that was it.

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