Siemens Finance and Commercial Academy Review

As this scheme is a placement scheme I move around different departments a lot. I have had placements where I would be completing reports for the company, completing Estimating Analysis sheets, conversing with regional contacts and organising Annual Outages. In my current placement I am responsible for our custmers in Eastern Europe consisting of countries such as Poland, Turkey, Romania, Azerbaijan, Greece, the Czech Republic and the Ukraine. I have been lucky to have full responsibility of these which some could find daunting but I have really enjoyed the challenge.

Customer focus has been the main skill I have picked up in my current placement. But I have also learned that teamwork in a company as large as Siemens is key. To get the best out of your supporting teams you need to have the communication skills and personality to acquire and maintain good links between internal teams. The workload needs to be shared among colleagues to ensure that there is visibility within the team. I am also in the process of completing my CIMA qualification which is helping a great deal to my work as I am understanding more and more with each course that I study.

I have been in the scheme for just under 18 months now and I can honestly say that I do not regret not going to University one bit. Since the beginning of the Siemens Finance and Commercial Academy, I have had so much support and guidance alongside my studying that I feel as though I will leave the scheme with so much more than I came into it with. Not only will I be a few exams away from the full CIMA qualification but I will have 3 years of work experience in multiple departments and market sectors; no student debt and skills that you simply cannot gain in a classroom. I can already see myself staying within Siemens for many, many years to come.

Even though Siemens is a very large company which operates in over 200 countries, I am 1 of only 8 Academy members, of my age, in the UK. I am currently the only Academy member appointed in Lincoln of my age and soon to be the only academy member in the whole of Siemens Rail Automation. We get very personal attention from every department as they understand that this scheme is teaching us everything we need to know to make it in a company such as Siemens. Siemens understand that the CIMA qualification is very important nowadays and so they provide the funding for this. The support offered for any of our issues I have just not found in any other organisation.

Even before I had begin with Siemens, the first 18 months of placements were already organised. I am told when I need to attend CIMA courses and we have regular Academy meetings to discuss how things are going. Everything is planned way in advance and even when something doesn't go as planned, there is a contingency for it.

We have been allocated a specific tutor from the training provider to help us out with any issues we may during our studies. This has proven to be a huge help in the past and I am sure it wil continue to be in the future.

As the 8 Academy members are split between 5 diffrent sites, regular meetings are arranged. Not only can we raise any issues we have during these meetings but we know that we can contact our manager at any time for support.

Let's just say that I manage to save on average £400 per month after all expenses have been taken care of e.g. rent, food, travel.

Yes, Siemens put on lots of events which are easily available to anyone within the company.

Yes

I feel as though they are a company who look after their employees. They offer lots of incentives to employees to perform well and they reward people for going over and above their expectations.

No matter how tough the application process, it is worth it if you get the job.