Hussain - BSc Business and Computing
I would encourage anyone who is in two minds about
considering a placement to go for it as it provides a clearer
picture of what is available to you after your degree.
Job details
Job Title
IT Placement Student
Employer/Organisation Name
Environment Agency
Location
Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol
What steps did you need to take to set up your placement/internship?
I’m currently studying a Business and
Computing degree and wasn’t entirely sure whether I should
undertake a placement year, I could see the advantages but I didn’t
want to commit myself to a years placement doing the same thing, it
seemed too risky and what if I didn’t enjoy the placement it was
because of this that I nearly missed out on securing this placement
but luckily thanks a careers adviser at UWE who continued to help
and support me in my search to find the ideal placement in IT. I
had already done a short 2 week placement in the IT department at
Bristol City Council arranged through the Employability and
Diversity Project, this confirmed that IT was an area I wanted to
continue in, but I really wanted a placement for a year. I was put
in touch with the Environment Agency, who suggested I come in for a
brief chat and it was after having a look around the Environment
Agency offices and discussing possible placement content that I
knew that I’d found the ideal placement.
What typical tasks and activities did/does your role involve?
My current role within this department is
being part of project management and checking to see what
procedures have been put in places for the six projects which are
currently going on. Checking what processes are in place, checking
to assess current risks and issues and checking/critiquing all
relevant document before the start of the next stage of each
project and providing feedback to project leaders regarding any
areas of concern. I’ve found everyone to be so helpful and you can
tell that they want you to get as much out of the placement as
possible.
What did/do you enjoy most about your role?
One of the reasons behind choosing this
placement with the Environment Agency was because of the
flexibility of getting to work in 5 different departments spread
over the year. I particularly enjoyed being placed with the first
department which was IT Support Service Desk, as this was the type
of role I saw myself heading towards after I finish my degree, but
having said that I’ve just started my placement with the third
department and I can already see how different it is going to be
compared to the previous two and already my eyes are being open to
all these different areas within IT.
Give an example of an activity that you undertook that was particularly challenging or interesting.
Whilst in my second department for IT
Express which covered procurement and the ordering/delivery of all
aspects of IT equipment, you were part of the whole process from
start to finish and with recycling being a top priority at the
Environment Agency you got to see all the old equipment being
recycled, melted down and getting prepared to be used for something
else. This was definitely interesting; the challenging part for me
was completing an audit of the external company that recycled our
old equipment and making sure they were up to standard and
complying with the contract. I did feel out of my depth only
because this was all so new to me, plus you have managers asking
for your opinion on their current procedures for this whole
process, I definitely felt challenged but in a positive way.
What skills and knowledge have you gained from the experience?
Being placed in three very different
departments has already equipped me with a number of skills, such
as writing reports for senior management, this is completely
different to essay writing and it took me a bit of time to get used
to writing in this way. I’m familiar with IT finance and
procurement as well as project management, both very different
areas that I’d never considered working in before.
What impact do you hope your experience will have on your career options?
I can see it having a massive impact already
as I feel there are so many areas of IT open to me, which I wasn’t
aware of before undertaking this placement. I would encourage
anyone who is in two minds about considering a placement to go for
it as it provides a clearer picture of what is available to you
after your degree.
Page last updated 14 April 2011