A minute with Sedi

We have to say goodbye to Sedi, who chose to spend his placement year at Yealand.  Sedi is an undergraduate at Anglian Ruskin University and is studying Accountancy and Finance.  He came to us to gain valuable real life work experience, in the hope that he’d be able to figure out what he might like to do after graduation. 

We asked Sedi to tell us about his time at Yealand:

I have found my industry placement to be worthwhile and it has changed my perspective of office work.  I had no office experience prior to joining Yealand and so I was hesitant about joining.  I needn’t have worried, everyone I interacted with supported me as I gained knowledge and improved my skills.  Being at Yealand has helped to build my confidence and I think that is because of the level of support and close supervision I received.  Even when I made mistakes at first, my colleagues remained patient and calm.  They took the time to work with me and were always accepting of the steep learning curve I was on.

I had moved out of my family home to live in Peterborough during my placement year and I remember the Team Leaders checking up on me, asking if I was eating properly and if everything was OK in the apartment.  Being in an office environment has allowed me to observe others and learn from them. My communication skills have improved as a result. 

I now appreciate what I was learning at university and I can see the relevance.  I particularly enjoyed working in the Valuations and Reconciliations teams.  There are strong working relationships across those teams, a sense of community that is embraced by everyone.

For me, the biggest benefits of the placement year at Yealand have been applying my studies in a real work environment and having the space to think about my future.  Spending my placement year at Yealand has widened the scope of career possibilities available to me.