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Network Rail

Project Management (Business Change) Review

at Network Rail

Placement (10 Months+)

Project Management

Milton Keynes

Review Submitted: July 2023

Overall Rating

4.3 /5

The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!

5/5 - Overview of Role
4/5 - Skills Development
5/5 - Support and Guidance
4/5 - Company Culture
5/5 - Overall Experience
3/5 - Future Career Prospects

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
Project Managing real project myself with the support of my manager and the rest of the team. I learnt about finances, reporting, escalation, managing risks. Day to day is really about solving problems and working with people. Most things can be resolved with a few emails and phone calls to the right people but also over time you get better and making decks and things seem to repeat themselves.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
Yes I would say I was given a lot more responsibility than a usual placement student. This was because of circumstances within the team but also my willingness to undertake tasks and get stuck in. I was thrown in at the deep end and through the support of colleagues managed to get myself through.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
5/5

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
I have become so much more confident in meetings. Now I feel free to speak my mind and I embrace challenges from my colleagues. I have become much more organised and have learnt how to use Excel and Oracle so much more efficiently. Going out to see projects has also been interesting and developed my understanding of engineering principles and processes.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
3/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
3/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
5/5

Support and Guidance

How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
My host manager and line manager were fantastic. The kind of managers that only want to see you grow and don't hold you back. I think this is key to your success because sometimes my motivation was dwindling my managers would push me further to go beyond my comfort zone.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
5/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
5/5

Company Culture

What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
I think if you go in with a will to make changes no matter how small you can feel the wins. Overall culture is very good with people being friendly and easy to work with.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
4/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
2/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
5/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5

Overall Experience

To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I very much enjoyed my placement. It started as a tough year but I worked really hard to turn it around and now I am sad to be leaving. The most important thing is to try and get opportunities with different people and get out and about as much as you can.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5

Future Career Prospects

Please rate the future employment prospects at Network Rail
3/5

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend Network Rail to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to Network Rail
Work hard at networking and spend time with all aspects of a project. Never think people are lesser than you and treat people with respect. It is worth your time to learn about other peoples work and just enjoy yourself. The more senior you become the less opportunities you get to explore so take advantage while you can.
In This Review
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