Research & Development Industrial Placement Review

I work in the Science & Technology team for Oral Care where I discover and develop new technologies to improve toothpaste products. This involves a mix of laboratory work and office-based work.

I have been given a lot of reasonability on my placement as I am expected to carry out laboratory and data analysis work independently and then share my findings with the wider team.

I have developed skills I had acquired at university alongside learning new skills, in particular I have gained knowledge and confidence in using a wide variety of laboratory equipment. Working in industry has enabled me to build my communication and team-work skills.

I received a lot of support and guidance during my placement, particularly in the first few months where I was being trained in the laboratory. This continued throughout the placement as I had weekly catch-ups with my line manager where I could receive extra assistance if necessary.

The company culture was very welcoming and inclusive. In the offices and laboratories there was a lot of support available as well as opportunity to network and meet new people, even if they were not working in your close team. There was plenty of social events and activities to get involved in such as a Christmas meal and sports clubs e.g. climbing

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement as I was able to experience working in industry and use the skills and knowledge I had acquired from university on real-world projects. I gained insights into areas of science that I was not familiar with before starting my placement, which I enjoyed as it allowed me to expand my understanding of other fields.

Yes