Course: MSc Food Consumer Marketing & Product Development 

Name of Placement Employer: Tims Dairy Limited 

Job Title: Quality Assurance Technician 

                                              

Overall, describe your placement experience:                               

I would say my experience was a bit complex. Some days were good, some were bad. Initially, I had trouble adjusting to the new atmosphere but apart from a few staff members, most were very friendly and supportive. I did not really get enough time to settle in the company as never throughout the year did I have fixed shift timings. While some of my shift timings were changed on a day’s notice, most of it was pre-planned and discussed with me. Learning wise, most of the staff members did not like questions being asked, but my manager and supervisor were extremely supportive. The company did not had a huge product portfolio, but manufactured Greek Style Yogurt (Own Label and Contract Manufacturing).       

Describe a typical day within your placement job role: 

Super hectic regardless of the shift. Two types of yogurts were made at the site. Short set yogurt, which needed two to four hours to set, was made during the day, while long set, which needed six to nine hours, was manufactured at the end of each day and left to set overnight. Early morning shift had most of the prechecks and CCP checks done. Long set product was checked to see if it was ready to pack and other machines were checked to begin short set production. As the production began, frequent checks on the product, packaging, use by or best before date, metal checks and weight were done. These would usually be every 30 minutes. Temperature checks across the site were done every two hours and across the products. Short set product, after filling, had to be moved into the incubator and monitored for progress after which it had to be moved to the blast chillers and then dispatch area. Long set product was moved to the blast chiller and dispatch area after packing. Cultures had to be prepared every hour for the short set. Microbial testing along with various other tests had to be carried out on all the products.  

What were the areas of your placement you were most worried about before starting, and how did you overcome these? 

I had heard that the site was a fast pace high care environment and coping with those demands was something was worried about. I was quite slow at work initially and was told off quite a few times. But with training and practice got pretty fast at everything. Another thing I was most worried about was planning everything for the day, but even that got pretty easy. 

Best part of the placement year: 

The best part was obviously eating yogurt, but I also enjoyed assisting with NPD trials. 

What are the skills you developed as a result of the placement year? 

I improved on time management, communication and supervision. 

How do you think your placement year will benefit you within your final year, and applying for and securing a graduate role? 

It as already benefitted me as, just two months after finishing my placement year, I secured another role. 

Would you recommend other students carrying out a placement, if so why? 

I would definitely recommend it and there are a lot of reasons; it is difficult for any international student to get a job in the UK after they graduate and, for most, I feel it is because they do not have any sort of work-related footprint here. A placement gives you that. It also gives you exposure to a work environment before you graduate, so you are ready for the professional environment beforehand. It gives you a chance to understand yourself in a working environment develop yourself. Not only do you get to connect with other professionals, but may also get some professional recognition. This being said, the best part is that you can put all the theory into practice in a real work setting.