Exciting T-Level Work Placement

My T-Level Work Placement Blog

Hi! My name is Saleh Diab, and I am currently studying a Computer Science Software Engineering T-Level at Stockport College. As part of my course, I completed a six-month work placement at Firstplay Dietary Foods, also known as Promin. My placement is ending soon in June, and I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about how much I have enjoyed my time here and how much I have learned from the experience.

When I first started my placement, I was both excited and nervous because it was my first time experiencing a real working environment for such a long period of time. My only experience at a workplace was in a primary school, while I was working as a teaching assistant in High School. This was obviously a completely different experience from my first placement.

At first, I did not fully know what to expect, but everyone at Promin made me feel welcome and comfortable very quickly. Over the months, I have gained valuable experience, improved many of my skills, and learned much more about both the technology industry and the workplace in general.

During my placement, I worked on a wide variety of different tasks and projects. Some of the work I completed included filling out and creating Excel spreadsheets, coding programs, helping solve technical difficulties, creating pages and blog posts for the website, and even helping improve the company’s ranking on Google and other search engines. It was interesting to see how many different areas are involved in running a business and how technology plays a major role in helping everything work efficiently.

One of the most enjoyable parts of my placement was being able to apply the skills and creativity I have learned during my T-Level course to real-world tasks. In college, we learn the theory behind software engineering and computing, but being in an actual workplace allowed me to understand how those skills are used professionally every day. I especially enjoyed working on coding-related tasks and learning new ways to solve problems more effectively.

Throughout my time at Promin, I have developed many important skills that I know will help me in the future. One of the biggest improvements I noticed in myself was my confidence. At the beginning of my placement, I was sometimes unsure if I truly could do anything that could help the company; I was too busy worrying if I would find the work too hard and complex. However, I asked questions and asked for help whenever I needed it. As time went on, I became much more comfortable with working independently and barely asked for help at all.

I also improved my teamwork and communication skills significantly. Working in a professional environment showed me how important communication is when completing tasks and working with other people. I learned how to explain ideas more clearly, listen carefully to instructions, and work together with others to solve problems. These are skills that will be useful not only in software engineering but in any future career.

Another important thing I learned during my placement was the value of organisation and time management. In a workplace, there are often multiple tasks to complete within certain deadlines, so staying organised is extremely important. During my placement, I learned how to prioritise tasks, manage my time better, and stay focused while working on projects. These are habits that I will continue to use both in college and in future jobs.

Some tasks were challenging at first because they were completely new to me. However, I knew that making mistakes is part of the learning process, so I used challenges as opportunities to improve my skills and gain more knowledge, instead of becoming discouraged and giving up. Over time, I became much more comfortable handling different responsibilities and solving problems on my own.

One thing I found particularly rewarding was creating pages and blog posts for the company website. Knowing that people may have read or interacted with work that I helped create gave me a real sense of achievement. It made me feel like I was contributing something meaningful to the business rather than simply observing from the side.

Overall, this work placement has been an extremely valuable experience for me. It has helped me understand what working in the software and technology industry is really like, while also helping me grow personally and professionally. I now feel much more confident about my future career and the direction I would like to take after completing my T-Level course.

I would like to thank everyone at Firstplay Dietary Foods (Promin) for giving me this opportunity and for supporting me throughout my placement. I truly appreciate everything I have learned during my time here and the experience I have gained over the past six months.

My name is Saleh Diab, and thank you very much for reading my blog. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!