Meet our students

Here at GOSS, we are champions of student learning and keen advocates of giving students the workplace skills they need for future employability. This is a subject close to our core values and over the years many students have been through our doors to learn about what we do at GOSS.

Over the past few years, we've introduced roles for placement students and graduates, with some placement students returning to work with us in graduate roles. To get a feel of what working life is like for our placement students and graduates, we've caught up with our current student roster to find out a bit more about what they like about GOSS...

Shaun Howells

Software Developer

How long have you been at GOSS?: I've been working for GOSS in some form for over 6 years now. I first arrived at GOSS in July 2017 as a placement student from Plymouth University. I started working for GOSS full-time in July 2019 after completing my Computer Science degree.

Why did you choose GOSS for your placement year/after graduating?: I chose GOSS for my placement year after seeing a presentation about them by a previous placement student who was very enthusiastic about his time at GOSS. After seeing this presentation, I attended a jobs fair at the university and saw a booth that GOSS had set up. I spent some time talking to them and I was impressed with everything I'd seen about them, so I applied for a placement and got the position. I thoroughly enjoyed my placement, and I was given a full-time job offer for when I finished my degree which I accepted as I enjoyed it so much.

What do you enjoy about working at GOSS?: The working hours can be quite flexible which helps with keeping a good work-life balance. There's also plenty of events that are run by people at GOSS (e.g., Christmas parties, baking sales, or Easter Egg hunts) which makes it feel like a welcoming place to work.

What is your biggest achievement so far at GOSS?: One of the things I'm most proud of is that I was able to quickly become a vital member of my team and I can now confidently work on every bit of software we maintain. During my placement, it didn't take long for me to begin writing code that's still in use today (such as SharePoint and GovNotify integrations). I've worked on a lot of projects since I've been here (over 1200 different pieces of work have my name on them in some way) so I've been involved with a lot of important work over the years.

What do you like about your team?: When I first started working in this team, everyone was very welcoming which made it a lot easier to get started. I was also given a lot of help which helped to get me up to speed with our technology stack and procedures. The team is just as friendly and nice to work with 5 years on.

What is the best aspect of working life at GOSS?: There's always a lot of useful work to be done so everything feels like it has a purpose. We work very closely with our clients so you can see your work making a real difference.

Lauren Hetherington

Marketing Placement Student

How long have you been at GOSS?: I've been at GOSS for just over four months now!

Why did you choose GOSS for your placement year?: I currently study Business Management at the University of Exeter and one of my favourite modules is Marketing so I wanted to find a placement in this area. I really liked that the placement role at GOSS explores all areas of marketing as opposed to being overly specialised, as I wanted to gain experience in all fields so that I could get the most out of my placement year. 

What do you enjoy about working at GOSS?: I really enjoy being given responsibility over my work and feeling as though my opinions and ideas are valued within the organisation. I also love that everyone is so friendly and willing to help whenever you need it. 

What is your biggest achievement so far at GOSS?: Learning how to create marketing content for GOSS's products and services. Before starting my placement I didn't have much knowledge about this industry, and my previous marketing experience was for companies with very different types of clients and therefore required different marketing strategies. However, over the last couple of months I have been able to learn so much about this industry and how to correctly market towards GOSS's clients. This has allowed me to gain experience in creating relevant and engaging content such as emails and blogs, which I did not have much knowledge of how to do before. 

What do you like about your team?: As my placement is completely remote, I was a bit worried about feeling isolated from my team and the company, but this has not been the case at all. Everyone in the sales team is so lovely and has made me feel so welcome since I started. My manager, Shaun, has been incredible throughout my placement, and is always available for a chat and to answer any questions that I have, which has made my placement really enjoyable. 

What is the best aspect of working life at GOSS?: I really like that every week I'm learning something new, and always working on different projects and campaigns, as I find it very motivational. The flexible hours are also really beneficial as it allows me to work around other commitments.

George Kombostiotis 

Software Developer

What do you do at GOSS?: I'm a Software Developer in the build team, where I help build web solutions for clients. I'm primarily in a client-focused role however I also get to work on other parts of the business such as helping out on product work.

How long have you been at GOSS?: I've been at GOSS for 6 Months, joining shortly after graduating from the University of Plymouth in 2023.

Why did you choose GOSS after graduating?: GOSS made a great first impression when they came to do a careers talk at the University of Plymouth during my second year, where they displayed a great passion for building software. The enthusiasm expressed by the speakers made it an easy choice to apply and learn more about the company.

What do you enjoy about working at GOSS?: I enjoy getting to work with different clients and working on challenging problems. By working closely with clients it's very rewarding to see my contributions get utilised for a meaningful purpose.

What is your biggest achievement so far at GOSS?: Helping build and deliver a Fostering Site for multiple councils in the North East of England. Getting to contribute to a large piece of work such as the Fostering with the North East project, gave me the opportunity to collaborate and learn from more senior developers.

What do you like about your team?: Everyone was very welcoming and friendly when I joined which helped get me settled in the team.  A great aspect of the build team is the willingness to help each other out by transferring knowledge and skills to the newer members of the team.

What is the best aspect of working life at GOSS?: Getting to work with great people, the different work events (Summer & Christmas parties) and the flexibility of working between the office and at home.