Our journey through a 5 month placement at Nexer, By Robin and Isabel

For the past few months, we've had the pleasure of working with Robin and Isabel, T-Level students from Macclesfield College. During their time with us, they have made significant contributions to various projects, including internal initiatives to enhance our SharePoint experience, setting up an accessibility lab, participating in user testing sessions, and helping to measure our carbon output as part of our sustainability strategy.

As Robin and Isabel conclude their time with our team and embark on new adventures, we took the opportunity to ask them a few questions about their experiences and most memorable moments with us. A massive thank you to both for their hard work and valuable contributions! 😊

You’re both students at Macclesfield College. Could you share a little about what you’re studying, and what you hoped to get from your placement at Nexer?

Isabel

I am studying the Digital Production, Design, and Development T-level. My studies cover a wide range of topics, including website creation, both front-end and back-end development, understanding the life cycle of computers, and various coding languages. We also delve into the principles of digital design, user experience (UX), and the latest industry trends and technologies.

Through my placement here at Nexer, I was really looking forward to gaining real-world experiences in an office environment. Nexer provided an amazing opportunity to explore what different jobs there were in the industry, and I was eager to understand the day-to-day operations of a real-world company, collaborate with experienced professionals, and apply my theoretical knowledge to practical projects.

Robin

I am doing a T-Level in Digital Production Design and Development. A digital-focused course that is more centred on students learning by studying more practically rather than using theory and textbooks. It also includes a work placement opportunity that you do for 315 hours (5 months). The course covers a whole range of different topics, such as how a computer works, software development methodologies like Agile and Waterfall, and developing a website application. What I hoped to get from my placement at Nexer was insight into how the tech industry operates and to see if I could put my learning and skills to create a product.

What kinds of projects have you worked on during your time at Nexer?

Isabel

At the start of our work placement, we began by organising resource files on the intranet. This was a challenging task, but it helped us develop a strong sense of the organisation. Alongside this, we had meetings with team leads from various departments, giving us insight into the different sectors of the company and their roles.

One of our key projects involved working with Product Management Team Lead Lee Emery on her SharePoint page for the delivery-life cycle. We helped design and structure the pages, which not only deepened our understanding of the work-life cycle but also introduced us to the skills required to create and manage a SharePoint site.

Another interesting project we contributed to be the accessibility helper during the team gathering in October. Beforehand, we explored various assistive products and apps, analysing how they improve accessibility and enhance user experiences with technology.

We also had the opportunity to engage in user testing from both perspectives. First, we recorded our experiences as users creating an expense report for the first time, providing feedback on layout and usability improvements. Later, we observed user testing for the Autotrader website, where we documented users' experiences and noted areas for enhancement.

Beyond these structured projects, I also pursued my own interests within the company. I attended "Front-End Friday" meetings to learn about ongoing projects and took on small challenges to replicate parts of the company's website. Additionally, I joined a UX design team meeting, which gave me valuable insight into their design process and current projects.

My two main projects were particularly rewarding. The first was the sustainability project with Andrew and Amy, where I worked with real data—compiling spreadsheets, creating graphs, and analysing carbon output. This required gathering extensive information from the office and transforming it into meaningful insights.

The second was the Word Cloud project with Robin Roy and Iqra Ramzan, where I served as the front-end developer. Starting from scratch, I designed the layout using Figma, refining the visuals to fit the project’s needs. Then, I brought the design to life with code, improving my skills in CSS and HTML while also learning some JavaScript.

Overall, these projects allowed me to explore different aspects of Nexer, develop new technical and analytical skills, and gain hands-on experience in a variety of areas. I also had the creative freedom to push my own learning boundaries and see what I could accomplish independently.

Robin

During my time at Nexer, I was able to work on several projects. Initially I was assigned to create a new SharePoint page containing the Brand Assets & Photos to be used to assist with colleagues when they produce work, then to completely reorganise the Nexer Resource file area by making it more clearly structured. This helped me to develop my problem-solving skills and adaptability by working on something I’d never even known and rapidly learning how to use it effectively.

Whilst working on this reorganisation project, I also had meetings with different departments of the company ranging from marketing to the back-end team. Meeting with different departments was an insightful moment, as I never understood how so many people could come together to make decisions and products.

After that I also worked to create the Nexer ‘Delivery-cycle’ SharePoint page, an approach used by Nexer Digital on how they work on key stages of their projects, from beginning to end. This helped me to learn more deeply about Nexer’s work process.

I was also entrusted to help lead groups during an accessibility event, which showcased different tools that people with accessibility needs could use, such as screen readers. It was an eye-opening experience for me learning about people with accessibility needs and tools that they could use to help them when they accessed websites and their contents.

With Justin Darley (Nexer’s Content Design Team Lead), I participated in a user research session led by him, where users were to try and create an expense report without any guidance. This was to test the system’s design to see if users can do so easily without any guidance. I then provided my own feedback, being that words used were not clear enough. I also was able to interact with an AutoTrader user testing session, which was a very unique perspective that involved watching the user normally browse the website and make purchases, then noting down areas that they found easy to navigate and access and areas that were difficult for them to understand or interpret.

The two biggest projects that I worked on were to develop a Word Cloud web application and another to gather data to understand Nexer Digital’s sustainability metrics.

The sustainability project involved me in visualising data on the staff’s commute to the office, figuring out how much carbon was produced by different types of transport methods, and finding out how much carbon was produced during a project's development phases through the staff’s usage of their monitors and laptops using Excel. I was also assigned to find out if there were any APIs that could be used to gather data on subscriptions used in Azure.

During the Word Cloud project, I was assigned to be a back-end developer. This meant developing solutions for how it would all work behind the scenes! For this project, this meant creating solutions on how the user’s input, through many ways such as through text or by uploading word documents, would be transformed into a word cloud. Look up what a word cloud looks like if you don’t know! There were many different variables to handle during the projects, such as what font does the user want displayed? What colours would they like? And so on. I started from scratch with learning JavaScript, Node, and using GitHub for source control. I had help with breaking down how I could create the logic behind the solution.  This helped my technical skills to develop, which also transferred into my college work.

What’s been your favourite moment of the placement?

Isabel

My favourite part of the work placement was getting to work with the amazing team and really getting to know them—not just in their roles within the company, but on a personal level too. Everyone was so welcoming, making the workplace feel comfortable and stress-free. Jen and Hilary were especially supportive as my supervisors, helping me quickly settle in and always being there for guidance. I also loved working with Iqra, who has become a great friend beyond just being a colleague. The supportive and friendly environment made the experience even more enjoyable, and I always felt encouraged to learn and grow without pressure.

Robin

Ooh, this is a tough one. There were just so many parts that I enjoyed during my experience! I enjoyed working with the people here at Nexer; listening to their backgrounds was interesting, and being able to join in on projects with them was fun. People here at Nexer were highly supportive; whenever I needed help, there was always someone to go to, no matter what it was. They're also deeply passionate about what they do and highly knowledgeable, which I respect.

Working on projects. It felt as if there were many people who depended on my work, which I enjoyed the feeling of, as it meant that my work was actually useful and needed; it had value.

What do you plan to do after this?

Isabel

After this, my main goal is to achieve strong grades at the end of my course. From there, I hope to secure an apprenticeship in the industry or find a job that allows me to continue developing my skills and gaining hands-on experience. I'm excited to take the next steps toward building a career in this field!

Robin

After my time with Nexer, I plan on finishing my college course and then either studying for a bachelor’s degree in software engineering at Manchester Metropolitan or getting an apprenticeship as a back-end developer.

What will you take away from your time at Nexer?   

Isabel

From my time at Nexer, I will take away a real office experience, new skills, and a deeper understanding of the industry. I've learned so much, from technical skills like front-end development and data analysis to the importance of organisation and collaboration. Most importantly, this placement has shown me that there are workplaces in the industry that are both inclusive and supportive with creating a calm working environment. The welcoming atmosphere and amazing people I worked with made a huge impact on me, and it has given me confidence in my abilities as well as my passion for this field.

Robin

Ultimately the collaborative environment at Nexer gave me the chance to learn from experienced professionals, and that mentorship helped me gain clarity on the areas that I want to pursue in the future.