Over the past 9 weeks I’ve been part of the Summer Placement programme, working within the Customer Operations Stream as a Project Support Co-ordinator in Leicester. This programme is like no other!
I’ve been given real responsibilities and tasks to complete while working on a project worth approximately £1.2m. For example, I’ve been responsible for deciding what channels are best to communicate with employees across 4 different sites, and how I’m going to measure the success of my project. Initiative, creativity and learning agility have been essential.
Furthermore, Centrica and my manager have gone out of their way to help me develop and make sure I benefit from every moment I’ve been here. Not only do I complete tasks as a fully qualified Project Co-ordinator, such as create communication plans which will be reviewed and signed off by senior management and communication leaders, but I’ve also been given the opportunity to undergo a Six Sigma course. How great is that? I was given the opportunity not only to benefit from work experience but also to develop my knowledge and capabilities within process improvement, which I can now take forward and use in my future career!
Centrica has helped me to learn enormous amounts about myself and the business. I’ve learnt about my own strengths and development areas by taking part in several different activities and tasks throughout my placement. For example, I’ve taken part in a presentation training day and excel training. This has allowed me to improve as an individual and become so much more employable. I’ve also met several senior members of British Gas who have shared their invaluable experiences, knowledge and tips on how to succeed.
As well as this, I’ve been raising money for Shelter UK – a charity which supports the homeless – by selling pizzas, samosas and organising raffles in my office.
In addition to everything I’ve done already, I’ve also visited several different offices. I got a feel for the different teams and sites by watching what they do for a day and listened into calls. I also visited customers’ homes with an engineer while he repaired their boilers, and went to our National Distribution Centre to see exactly how we store all our parts, prepare them to be sent out and how fast and accurate the process is. Overall, it has truly been an insightful summer and I’ve now got many new networks, friends and experiences! Going forwards, I now understand my own personal development areas to work on to become a stronger candidate for my future career!
Find out more about Centrica's Graduate and Undergraduate schemes here.