As part of a four-year sandwich degree in Computer Science (Software Engineering) it was optional for students to participate in an industrial placement.

The previous two years had built upon my computing understanding and added to the techniques and abilities required to work in a real environment. My next objective was to gain real-life experience in order to excel my business and management understanding, as well as develop proficiency in areas such as communication, project planning and day-to-day office skills.

After being attracted to the advert Fisher put onto the Nottingham Trent Online Workplace (NOW) portal, I attended an interview in April and was accepted as the new placement student for the 2009 – 2010 academic year. The placement commenced on Monday 10th August 2009 and ran for 52 weeks, ending on 6th August one year later.

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Web Page Design and Implementation (Coded using HTML, CSS and PHP languages)
Website design required a sound knowledge of several languages such as HTML, CSS and PHP. The Macromedia package ‘Dreamweaver’ was the main software used to design new and develop existing pages opting for a code-based approach over a design view.

Graphic Design
A constant role throughout the year at Fisher Scientific, resizing and optimizing images from the Desk Top Publishing (DTP) department as well as producing eye catching banners (appendices 7.1 and 7.2) and attire for web pages. I was able to excel and learn more advanced techniques with help and guidance from online tutorials and the DTP department alike. Factors such as ‘Dots per Inch’, ‘vector imagery’ and print quality standards were all picked up relatively quickly, and specialist software such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign were used for some advanced tasks.

Social Media & Rich Media
There was a strong emphasis on social media and rich media during the placement. MediaLab, which had been designed in previous years, had a large increase in the number of video’s being uploaded, and a YouTube account was created with the hope of pulling YouTube users onto Fisher.co.uk. Videos were required to be altered to include the Fisher Scientific Logo before being encoded using Macromedia Flash and ImToo Video Suite. There was also a Flickr account enabled for images of Science World 2010 in addition to a Twitter profile (see appendices 9.0) to keep followers up to date with the latest product information, promotional offers and Science World 2010 developments.

Fisher Scientific 2010 Freshen Up
A large part of my placement year was spent working on the design, development and implementation of Fisher.co.uk. The menu (appendices 10.1), footer (appendices 10.2) and flash banner (appendices 10.3) were all redesigned taking inspiration from other cutting-edge websites. Being given the solo task of researching, designing and eventually implementing this onto the homepage of the Fisher website was an honor and I relished the opportunity by dedicating my efforts towards it.

I was very proud to see my developments as the focus point of the Fisher website when the project was signed off in late May 2010. The praise from both colleagues in the department and around the business was fantastically flattering, backed up by the menu and news box being implemented on the Ireland site. This was praise indeed, and a great reward for the months of hard work, which had been put into the project.

Science World 2010 – The Fisher Scientific Laboratory Experience
The three days working in London as part of a well organized team was an experience I will never forget. The preparation before the event, with everyone working on their sections overlooked by Emily Quinn brought a real social aspect to my time at Fisher, and reinforced the importance of teamwork and colleague bonding to me.

On event day the team sprung to action resulting in the most successful Science World ever. Such a grand venue as Wembley Stadium was inspirational to me as I attracted customers to play on the Wii-Fit. This was a very different aspect of work compared to my daily activities in Loughborough, but I relished the opportunity and had a brilliant time as well as meeting lots of new people.

After the show the team worked to get everything packed up and loaded onto the van within the allocated three hours and were treated to a cooked dinner in one of the VIP boxes overlooking Wembley pitch. The success of Science World coupled with the feeling of achievement within the team was a remarkably bonding experience. I felt proud to have been part of the team (see appendices 15) responsible for such a brilliant event.

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Fisher Scientific was a brilliant placement, not only opening my eyes to the commerce side of computing but also allowing me to gain invaluable experience in a professional environment. My career aspirations were unclear and daunting prior to my time at Fisher, but I now have a defined set of ambitions to work towards with renewed motivation.

My thanks go to both Nottingham Trent University and Fisher Scientific for such a wonderful opportunity. It has not only broadened my career choices but also defined my aspirations. Were it not for this placement I would have struggled with career ideas for a number of years, focusing simply on the technical aspects of computing rather than the much more interesting overall picture. I have a vast amount of new skills and gained vital business knowledge that will certainly steer me in the right direction in the future.

The opportunity to work as a placement student for a year is one not to be missed and Fisher Scientific is the perfect organization to spend the year with. I have made some fantastic friends and gained real business awareness; I will remember my time at Fisher Scientific and the great time that I spent there.