Matthew Cupac, my work placement experience
Matthew, an Economics and Politics student at Keele Business School, recently completed his work placement at the Office for National Statistics, part of the Government Economic Service.
Matthew Cupac, Government Economic Service
I decided to undertake a placement year:
In order to gain experience in a potential career role. It would be valuable for me to confirm whether this indeed is something I want to pursue in the future, or that I may wish to consider other career paths.
The best thing/s about my placement is:
The people you work with and the knowledge they have. From the day I was integrated into my team I was surrounded by expertise and guidance, and directed in areas which allow me to develop skills and knowledge in wider areas around the organisation.
A placement will help me in my final year to:
Prioritise my time and work to a deadline. The workload is substantial so prioritising it into what is essential and desirable is a valuable skill which will easily translate back into academic learning.
If I could give a student one piece of advice about securing a placement it would be:
To be enthusiastic. Obviously technical skills are required and are important, but skills can be gained over time. Employers ultimately desire people who have a genuine interest in working for them, and are enthusiastic about the organisation.