HAY Member Supports T Level Student With 26 Week Work Placement
Hannah Smith York College T Levels Student – My 26 week work placement at the York Marriott January to July 2019
The importance of your T levels programme in getting the industry experience:
“My placement at the Marriott York in HR was very beneficial and it showed me the importance of how getting real experience within a industry and how beneficial it would be. It is so important to get experience because it is an insight to what it would truly be like on good and bad days and all the days in between.
How did it benefit you?
“My placement at the Marriott in HR was better than I could have ever expected, it benefitted me more than I even imagined it could. It gave me opportunities to see and live the life of how it would be working in the HR office, what types of jobs they had to do and also comparing it to other departments which I saw a snippet of due to the fact HR was very people orientated”
What key skills and experience did you gain?
“I gained key skills from my placement for example more confidence dealing with new people and new tasks I was being set. Also it cleared my understanding of what the job role HR manager and HR assistant truly had to do on a daily basis. As this was my first placement I had no other experience to do with HR but I felt like that didn’t prevent me from learning and getting the most out of my placement as I possibly could as Emma and Sarah (HR manager and assistant) both taught me as I went along and as time went on we built a level of trust and a relationship between us all. The fact we all had a good relationship and got on made it easier for me to settle in as from the day I got to the Marriott and met Emma and Sarah they both took me under their wing and always had me in mind if there was any opportunity where I could join in or if there was a potential job/task they could set me to help them out.”
What did you enjoy the most about your placement with York Marriott?
“I enjoyed meeting new people and experiencing something new whilst I was at the Marriott. It opened my eyes to see what the job would truly be like and also what it would be like to work at the Marriott in York. Marriott staff were treated amazingly and that really shined through from the time I was there. I also enjoyed being set tasks that I hadn’t done before at my placement as it was a new skill to learn that I might potentially need for my future. Finally, in addition I also enjoyed the wide range of tasks I could be set and how different each week could be due to different issues the HR office had to deal with or different circumstances and that was one thing I enjoyed as it therefore didn’t make it tedious for me week after week. In addition the Marriott also held a few events which luckily for me fell in the time which I was there doing my placement. They did appreciation week for their staff and that was amazing in my eyes as all the staff went to a massive effort to show how much they appreciate their colleagues and also how they have a good connection with the hotel manager to make all of this happen. They also went above and beyond during this week to do themed lunches, outside games on their lunch break, hired an ice cream van and loads more. Also another thing which Marriott do which is amazing is a pre-pay day treat this is also very generous of them to keep their staff happy and motivated to work. If this doesn’t show that Marriott York is a good place to work I’m not sure what will.”
Any hints or tips for future T Levels placement students?
“Some tips I would give for future T level students doing a placement is just to take every opportunity you are offered and do it to the best ability you can as it doesn’t last forever and it gives you a whole new outlook on the ‘real’ world and what you could be doing in the future in a similar type of job”