Patrick Brennan (BA Hons Philosophy, Politics and Economics Placement Year) completed his placement in 2019-2020 at GIST and played a vital role during the pandemic. In March 2021, Patrick won a Highly Commended award in the 2020 ASET Student Competition.

In this blog, Patrick and Jo Hobbs, Careers and Placements Consultant, reflect on Patrick’s year in industry by analysing extracts from Patrick’s award-winning ASET competition entry.

“I assisted with restructuring the working hours of 25 operatives, subsequently reducing overcrowding in the shift start and finish times. Around the site, thumb prints used for clocking in were replaced with swipe cards and one-way systems were introduced…Hygiene was on everyone’s minds, so I began placing visual reminders around the warehouse and 2m spacing markers on the floor…”

Patrick: The above shows that I was proactive and innovative when addressing key areas of the workplace that would cause concern for some workers. Using visual reminders worked well as it was a simpler form of communication to put people at ease.

Jo: It is evident that Patrick took a lead role in creating a safe working environment for his team during the pandemic, and he was entrusted with a huge amount of responsibility.

“Adaptability was never a strength of mine. Obstacles such as last-minute personnel changes, delayed Covid test results and unforeseen circumstances in the logistics network would have previously frustrated me, seeing my carefully manicured plans unravel. I instead began to enjoy spontaneity.”

Patrick: This was a real turning point for me, being someone who likes to plan ahead. The pandemic meant that we were having to adapt all the time, therefore I stopped focusing on the reasons why something was an issue and started looking for immediate solutions. An example was opening clear communication channels with the agency team to ensure that their staff were tested for Covid before being booked to work at our site.

Jo: It is brilliant to see how a change in context can enable students like Patrick to discover strengths that they didn’t realise they possessed.

“My experiences have proven that I can work well under pressure and adapt my methods accordingly. I enjoy working in teams in positions of responsibility; the fact that operatives came to me with their concerns was praised in my final review, where I received a very high score. I hit the ground running in logistics, I know I want to work somewhere that involves plenty of variety…”

Patrick: This summary shows that I was given lots of responsibility and was able to prove my value to the site. There was a real sense of community during the pandemic and I was a key part of this ethos. I became very aware of how crucial each operative was and sought ways to make people feel more comfortable, improving the communication and the relationship between the management team and the rest of the workforce.

Jo: The placement enhanced Patrick’s self-awareness and has enabled him to make more informed decisions about his future career plans.

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Patrick Brennan is a final year Philosophy, Politics & Economics student who is part of the Rugby Union and the University Golf Societies!

Jo Hobbs oversees the placement year provision across FASS, FST and FHM, and she is a big believer of the value of placements. Jo has worked at Lancaster University for 8 years in a range of HR, placements and careers roles.

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The opinions expressed by our bloggers and those providing comments are personal, and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Lancaster University. Responsibility for the accuracy of any of the information contained within blog posts belongs to the blogger.