{"id":22756,"date":"2023-04-20T11:41:53","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T10:41:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/?p=22756"},"modified":"2023-05-03T09:53:31","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T08:53:31","slug":"my-placement-experience-as-a-mature-nutrition-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/2023\/04\/20\/my-placement-experience-as-a-mature-nutrition-student\/","title":{"rendered":"My placement experience as a mature nutrition student"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a guest blog written by final year BSc (Hons) Nutrition student,\u00a0 Sam.<\/strong><\/p>\n\"Sam<\/a>\n

I was very fortunate to be selected for the Leatherhead Food Research summer placement scheme. Renowned by the UK food industry for high testing standards, the company was established over a century ago. The placement was in the \u2018Cooking Instructions\u2019 lab. Food Scientists cook food to the packet instructions, testing its safety and tasting its flavour! This often-overlooked job is vital to protect the health of the public (and ensure customer satisfaction).<\/p>\n\"Sam<\/a>\n

This was a paid placement, working full-time for 10 weeks in the summer; between my second and final year at university. The first fortnight was training and working under supervision- a steep learning curve. After this, basic testing was expected to be completed to standard unsupervised, with a \u2018lab buddy\u2019 on hand if there were any issues. After a month, we (the placement students) were meeting the daily expected output volumes for full-time employees. By the end of the 10 weeks, I had played my part in opening and closing the lab, taking deliveries, and testing a wide range of foods.<\/p>\n

Despite placement students only being temporary staff- the Leatherhead team made sure that we felt appreciated. I was invited to a staff night out at the nearby Epsom racecourse, which really made me feel like part of the team. It was a great fun- I even picked a winner! We also had a farewell afternoon tea with the lab staff, where everyone chipped-in, making sandwiches and cakes.<\/p>\n

On a personal note, I really enjoyed living in London during the summer- there was so much going on! It was sunny every day- I experienced some great days out, such as a trip to Kew Gardens, live music in Hyde Park and tennis at Wimbledon.<\/p>\n\"Sam<\/a>\n

A challenge I faced was when clients requested photographs of cooked products, in addition to a written description of outcomes. I am not the best photographer, and unfortunately my images were not up to the required standard. A manager, who was very good at photos, gave me a tutorial- and advised that I could use my phone instead of the supplied digital camera. I found using my phone to be much easier and the subsequent results were far better. I am pleased to say that I received some positive feedback for my photos thereafter.<\/p>\n

As a student hoping to pursue a career in food science- gaining some practical food lab experience is invaluable. Additionally, the job required constant communication with the other lab staff and to other departments. I also got to work with professionals from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds. I think that these soft skills will be especially important in the future, where well-honed human qualities are advantageous in an increasingly automated world.<\/p>\n

Inspired by my placement, I am now set on a career in food science. My aim is to work within food and drink manufacturing- either developing new products or controlling the quality of current operations. I am looking at a range of options: including postgraduate courses, local jobs, and careers overseas.<\/p>\n\"Sam<\/a>\n

As a mature student, I would encourage those thinking of making a career change to take the plunge! Studying for a degree has been the hardest, but most rewarding, challenge I have ever undertaken. It\u2019s never too late to learn!<\/p>\n

Regarding work experience- don\u2019t let financial complications put you off a good placement. Living and commuting in the London area was expensive; but the university has some help available for students working away, right from the first interview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a guest blog written by final year BSc (Hons) Nutrition student,\u00a0 Sam. I was very fortunate to be selected for the Leatherhead Food Research summer placement scheme. Renowned by the UK food industry for high testing standards, the company was established over a century ago. The placement was in the \u2018Cooking Instructions\u2019 lab…. Read more » about My placement experience as a mature nutrition student<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1268,"featured_media":22757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[496,503,2777,12,1638],"tags":[603,936,3235,604,3296],"class_list":["post-22756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ug-courses","category-health-social-care","category-mature-students","category-student-blogs","category-undergraduate","tag-bsc-hons-nutrition","tag-nutrition","tag-nutrition-courses","tag-nutrition-degree","tag-nutrition-placement"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22756"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23168,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22756\/revisions\/23168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/student-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}