Operational Industrial Placement Review

This year has been challenging and has pushed me to develop as an individual and ensure that I get the most out of the year. Being part of a professional working environment gives you first hand experience of what the world of work entails. The situations I've faced over the year has provided me with skills that I definitely wouldn’t have gained if I completed my University course without a placement. At times it has been tough as you deal with brand new scenarios that can be quite overwhelming - but as long as you persevere and stick by your decisions and ask for help when its needed, your confidence improves and running shift does become a lot more manageable.

The site I was based at consisted of quite a small management team - everyone was open and honest with each other and would happily take the time to help you. I had always been given the freedom to express my opinion and it was regularly considered, even regarding situations that I may not have had much knowledge or experience in. This led to opportunities for me to go away and implement my ideas and suggestion which I believe enabled me to showcase my potential to the rest of the team.

A lot of support was given throughout the year especially at the beginning of the placement as it can be quite daunting starting in a completely new environment. If you were ever unsure about something all you had to was ask a member of the team and they would happily take the time to answer any of your questions.

Each day is completely different from one to the next and can be very busy - you have to make sure you're up to date with how drivers are getting on out on the road and where abouts the warehouse is up to in terms of completing the days outload. You are in constant communication with customers and also have to manage any of their requests or issues. The busiest part of the day shift is in the afternoon as you have a lot of vehicles coming in and out of the depot. As long as you manage your time effectively and keep on top of which vehicle will be arriving into depot or which vehicle is due out next then it becomes a lot easier to manage. You also need to keep checking that any vehicle that has left site makes it to the right destination in a safe and timely manner.

You are given a lot of responsibility from day one. In the beginning, having what seems like such a vast amount of responsibility can be quite overwhelming. However as long as you remain focused and dedicated to getting the job done, your confidence grows and the sometimes hectic environment soon becomes familiar and easier to manage.

With Gist being so people focused you are constantly interacting with individuals in different scenarios every single day. I have gained valuable interpersonal skills when dealing with people and difficult situations that I will be able to use and apply throughout my career. In terms of applying theory to the placement year, the previous modules I have studied at University have been beneficial however you do have to heavily rely on your own personal capability and decision making in most situations.

Having everyone work within the same area meant that you got to know everyone very quickly - you could always have a laugh with the people in the office and out on the floor. When it came to completing group tasks everyone would get stuck in and make sure the job was done whilst also making it as fun and as interesting as possible. If you made a mistake, the managers would firstly ask your opinion on what went wrong and how you would do it differently next time and then give their opinion on the situation.

In terms of the layout of the placement there is no set structure for what you will learn over the year. It is very much down to your own personal preference and what areas you have exposure to at each specific site. You have a two week induction (with a two day visit to head office) which gives you a brief outline of the business and the operation, however it does not provide you with a full in depth insight into your depot. This only comes with time and once you start taking on tasks the operation and processes used soon start to become familiar. Make sure that you get involved in as many different areas of the site and try and work alongside as many of your colleagues as possible – their experience and knowledge will help your own development and increase your understanding of what it takes to be an effective manager.

Throughout the year I took part in a few training courses. Some of these were based at head office just for the placement students and some were conducted for the management at my site. The site based training included Absence Management and Disciplinary Training - these sessions proved very useful as I was unaware of the legal aspect around the subjects and learnt about the best ways to deal with the topics.

The graduate prospects at Gist are promising – if you have a successful placement year with Gist they can offer you a guaranteed place on the Graduate Scheme. There are many senior managers within Gist who started on the Grad Scheme including the CEO of the company. The scheme is deemed very valuable within the business as it acts as a fast track to developing the most out of your career. I have been asked back to the company onto their Graduate Scheme which is an achievement that I am very proud of.

In terms of socialising with people outside of work there wasn't too much opportunity however we did have a Christmas party and whenever anyone from the managerial team left we had a leaving meal and night out. Obviously because the operation runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week it isn't always easy to arrange something for everyone in work to be involved in but when there is a 'special occasion' then everyone does try and get together to celebrate. When on placement you will be the only placement student based at site, but you will mostly like have graduates based at the site too.

The site I was based at for the year was in the same city as my University so in terms of moving to a brand new city this wasn't the case for me. However I did decide to live on my own for the year as living with Uni mates and having to work Monday to Friday wouldn't have been ideal. Earning for the year definitely is a positive as it's nice to have your own income - the cost of living where I was based was fine.

The city I was based in has two Universities and is known for its large student population so there was definitely enough night life and things to do. Being in logistics does mean that you have to work different shifts including night shifts so you may find that you don't make the most of the nightlife on offer - you definitely don't go out as much as you do when you're at Uni!

There weren't many things to get involved in outside of work, as previously mentioned the operation runs 24 hours a day 7 days a week so this proves difficult to organise something for the whole team to get involved in. You do however occasionally see the other placement students on training days and head office visits so can catch up with them and their experiences throughout the year.