Holly Wilson

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Placement: GlaxoSmithKline

Potential employers have become more focused on what first-hand experience graduates have which has prepared them to handle the transition into a professional environment and benefit the organisation. With this in mind, I decided taking a placement year would put me in the best position for securing a job after graduation. A placement year would mentally prepare me for the  working environment  as well as develop my employability skills. I also wanted to explore the path I had envisioned for my career without having to commit to it. I hoped this would allow me to decide if the area I was based in my placement was somewhere I could see myself in the future.

As a supply chain industrial placement student in the warehouse process support team I completed data analysis, process improvement and transparency of results by inventory management, complex logistics stock reports, analyses and deviation trending. As well as my standard work, I was involved in numerous projects at GSK. My project work included coordination of a warehouse segregation project, coordinating significant modifications to the warehouse storage design, implementing an annual distribution review and initiating a process to promote quality improvement. My experience at GSK has been incredible and has helped me to develop both professionally and mentally.

The aspect of my placement I valued the most was the trust my team placed in me by giving me significant opportunities to aid my development. Perhaps the most significant benefit of completing my placement is that it solidified my decision in continuing to pursue supply chain as a career. I never imagined undertaking a placement would have provided me with the number of opportunities I was presented and each opportunity gave me invaluable experience which I will take with me to future jobs and will continue to build on. The welcoming environment calmed any nerves I might have had and facilitated me securing work on different projects. When I completed work that was an improvement on current processes or new to the organisation, my managers asked me to share the results with senior management and different sites alike. This included me presenting to 2 members of the site leadership team on separate occasions and presenting to the warehouse operations managers across the GSK network. All work completed whilst on my placement enhanced my leading, project management, team-building and presentation skills. All of these are valuable skills that can only be learnt through hands-on experience in a working environment and since having this experience, the confidence I have in my own abilities has massively improved.

Whilst nothing can truly prepare you for working life, knowing that you have support from the careers team is comforting. I also believe completing a placement in tandem with the work based learning module accelerated my development as it provided me with a way to track and reflect on my achievements.