Laura McGowan

I started at Warwick in September 2018. My first placement was in the Strategy Group working alongside Head of Government Affairs to support the development of a new Policy Function and other activities including organising a three-day, University-wide ‘HE Immersion Programme’ for the Department for Education. My final placement was in Warwick International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA), focused on developing the architecture for a new web portal for Teaching staff at Warwick.

I was made to feel welcome at Warwick from day one of the Assessment Centre and throughout all of my placements with the different teams I worked with. The colleagues I had the opportunity to work with were all incredibly passionate about their work which made it a really positive environment to work in. Staff were always happy to share their insights and offer guidance or support wherever they could.

As a grad at Warwick, I really valued the support offered from my mentors, programme and placement managers – rather than just focusing on the work my immediate team, they encouraged me to take up opportunities to support my wider professional development. The nature of the Grad Scheme allowed space for me to attend courses on project management, workplace skills and behaviours and leadership development