Business Management Industrial Placement Student Review

I was involved in identifying potential improvements within the business, where solutions would be created in order to achieve them. My responsibility was often to collate information, lead meetings, and also lead my own projects, once I was ready. Additionally I had the freedom to move around the different business units to gain as much exposure as possible into the business.

I have learnt many new skills and developed myself into a much more rounded individual. I have developed skills such as communication, presenting and confidence, for example. In terms of new skills learnt I would say project management. Although I studied project management at University, this real life experience of managing my own projects at Balfour Beatty helped to really put the theory I'd learnt to the test.

I thoroughly enjoyed my programme with Balfour Beatty as it taught me so much, whilst also helping to kick-start my career. I enjoyed it so much so that I stayed with the business part-time throughout my final year whilst completing my degree, and upon finishing my degree I am now going back up to full-time.

The programme I was on was very well organised and structured. It was built around my personal development, and was very flexible in the sense of it allowed me the freedom to experience the things I was interested or keen in, rather than keeping me in a fixed position for the year.

I received amazing support from not only my direct managers but also from the wider team which I was situated in. If I ever need help or support I only ever had to ask, and everyone would always be more than happy to help, even if they were very busy.

Whilst on my placement year, I had a placement co-ordinator who would arrange quarterly meetings to discuss my progress, not only with myself but also with my manager. The support was great as it kept me on track with my development and helped to identify goals to take forward after the meetings.

The support from Bournemouth University helped me to reflect on what I had been working and to identify a clear direction to progress towards in the future and off the back of identifying goals for myself, whether that be learning or target goals. Overall the support I found to be very helpful and it contributed to my performance.

There are plenty of activities to be involved in at Balfour Beatty, especially charity events, in which an annual calendar is created so that everyone has visibility of what is going on and when. There are also other internal events which are held which are a great opportunity to meet new people across the business.

Yes

It is a fantastic company who are passionate about developing and growing their employees, with opportunities always arising. Additionally, the company contributes to amazing change, not only in the UK, but in the U.S.A and Hong Kong too, which makes a massive difference to people and the country's infrastructure.

I would advise people who are looking to apply to Balfour Beatty to make your CV stand out as much as possible, with lots of information about yourself, rather than generic information. Additionally, try to gain as much meaningful experience as possible, it looks great on a CV and it makes you stand out much more.