RateMyPlacement and RateMyApprenticeship are now Higherin: Learn More

Higherin
Volkswagen Financial Services

IT Risk and Security Undergraduate Review

at Volkswagen Financial Services

Placement (10 Months+)

Information Technology, Insurance and Risk Management

Milton Keynes

Review Submitted: April 2024

Overall Rating

4.4 /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
4.5/5 - Skills Development
5/5 - Support and Guidance
4.3/5 - Company Culture
4.5/5 - 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.
I work in IT Governance, Risk and Compliance which involves taking technical detail around IT operational and strategic risks, assessing the implications from a business perspective, and then working with our delivery teams to drive decisions and remediation. Day to day is widely varied but generally involves hosting meetings, managing documentation and data, and using some specialist tools and applications to complete a plethora of tasks. The major benefit of working within the GRC function is that you are exposed to plenty of highly experienced staff and senior leaders who are always accommodating and are passionate about teaching you what they know.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
I was given plenty of responsibility during my placement and my team actively pushed me to take on difficult tasks and take accountability for work impacting a plethora of stakeholders. My team always ensured I was kept busy and constantly thinking about how I can either develop myself or improve our function which lead to many interesting interactions with various highly experienced staff who offered plenty of invaluable advice.
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 developed a plethora of new skills, predominantly, around cyber and operational risk management. I have also undertaken numerous opportunities to help develop my ability to communicate and present to large audiences. Stakeholder engagement is also a key responsibility as most of the role involves driving our local delivery teams to achieve best outcomes for our customer base. Ability to analyse and critique data is an absolute necessity and naturally over the course of the placement you will learn to develop a critical mindset.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
4/5
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 team have always been on standby to provide advice and support when required. My manager, in particular, took every opportunity to teach me about how I can improve on particular skills to support my career development and insight into what careers are on the rise and suggested where I can invest my talents. GRC in general is an expansive team and so I wasn't just gaining experience from my immediate colleagues but also those who work in the wider team.
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?
Company culture is fantastic and highly accommodating. Staff in and around IT are always keen to help out and advise on any degree of endeavour.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
4/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
4/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
4/5
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?
My placement has been highly enjoyable and I have had the opportunity to network with so many great individuals. The company regularly holds staff forums and updates in which details are given around current company performance and key output and contributors which helps to give tasks at hand context and value.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
4/5

Future Career Prospects

Please rate the future employment prospects at Volkswagen Financial Services
3/5

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend Volkswagen Financial Services to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to Volkswagen Financial Services
Be ready to learn from day one, because even if work is slow to begin with there is so much to read up about and educate yourself on. Just ask your manager about what to familiarise yourself with and crack on with the broad range of learning resources offered by the company. It will be extremely helpful as you begin diving into those key tasks. As always ask as many questions as you can, it makes a huge difference to the entire experience. But most importantly, just enjoy it!
In This Review
Join Now

Join the Higherin Community

Save Time

Easily add jobs from Higherin or external platforms to keep everything organised.

Personalised Alerts

Get tailored job recommendations and updates straight to your inbox.

Exclusive Features

Access tools like application tracking, deadline reminders, and saved searches.

Stay Ahead

Be the first to know about the latest opportunities and deadlines.

Completely Free

Create an account and unlock powerful features at no cost.