Experience Consultant Review

I work on projects with some of the largest companies in the world focused on transforming their digital and experiences. My role more specifically is the business analyst who works directly with stakeholders across the client organisation to gain a deep understanding of their business issues, wants and needs, as well as what their customers wants and needs are, in order to elicit requirements for the project delivery. I then work with technical subject matter experts and user experience designers to solve the client's problems and propose solutions for client acceptance, which balance meeting the needs of the business, customer and be technically feasible to deliver within the required timelines. Finally, I will support the project delivery team in executing the agreed solution throughout the software development lifecycle, ensuring that all requirements are met as intended, any change requests follow the correct processes and are agreed with the client, and that agreed project timelines are met.

I have learnt many new skills and greatly developed existing skills that I had, including both soft skills and technical skills. The apprenticeship firstly built up my confidence very quickly by working with notable real world clients, working on very real and impactful projects. IBM's apprenticeship programme challenged me which allowed me to develop skills very quickly, but in a way in which felt safe to make mistakes and learn from them. My peers are incredibly knowledgeable and inspirational; perhaps where I have learnt the most from. They have always treated me as an equal, never failing to offer support, guidance to help me develop my skills. Combining this on the job learning with studying the theoretical aspect at university (and training available outside of university) which can be immediately applied to my job has also allowed me to excel in developing my skills.

I thoroughly enjoy my programme. I have a fantastic support network who are more than happy to offer advice and guidance when tackling challenges not just from colleagues at IBM but also from the clients I work with due to the relationships you can build through collaboration. I also find the work that I do in my job incredibly exciting, working in a dynamic industry with emerging technologies, harnessing creativity through developing innovative solutions to client's issues and building digital experiences. I also find the learning structure very valuable as I can directly apply my learnings into my day-to-day job which helps me learn and understand things much better, as I can see how theory work in the real world. I also have a very positive and supportive cohort at university all from different backgrounds and places of work, which is very interesting to understand their perspectives and experiences. Finally, although balancing a full time job and university can be challenging, I still find that I maintain a good work-life balance and I have support in place if this became unmanageable. This is helped very much by the hybrid, flexible working opportunities at IBM.

I find the programme to be well structured and organised. When I am studying a particular university module, I am often very quickly able to gain exposure to this in the workplace if I wasn't already, so the learning applies to the work I do in my day-to-day job as well as covering new areas to broaden my knowledge and skills. Having 20% off the job learning massively helps in staying organised and balancing work and study. University timetables are provided with reasonable advance notice so this can be arranged with job commitments (which IBM's apprentice programme is able to support with arranging with project managers etc.), although it could be beneficial to get timetables a little earlier for scheduling annual leave or when taking on external training/certifications outside of university. I also like the hybrid approach to learning with a balance of on campus and online sessions.

I receive a great deal of support from my employer, particularly earlier on as I was settling into my apprenticeship and the workplace in general. IBM recognises that beginning ones career can be a daunting experience, especially as an apprentice, and so providing support to apprentices is a priority. There are many former apprentices who volunteer their time become mentors and career coaches to share tips and guidance from their experiences which was incredibly helpful for me, as well as management being able to support with helping professionals and clients understand the apprenticeship scheme to ensure adequate arrangements are in place to balance work and study.

I have found MMU to be supportive, with dedicated apprenticeship coaches who serve as your go-to person for any apprenticeship/university needs. Tutors for each module are experts in their fields, many of which having careers in industry before moving to education which suits the programme very well, and the majority have been very supportive in helping my understanding of concepts, contextualising teachings to how they apply to my day-to-day job / industry, and with assignment support.

The majority of learnings have applied to my role to some degree, with others being useful knowledge to have when considering progression routes for my career. Learning theory and concepts which can be directly applied to my job almost immediately has greatly improved my performance and the methods I use to approach certain tasks.

There is a rich and diverse early professional (apprentice, grads, interns) community at IBM who you can network with and form valuable professional relationships with as well as friendships. My local office runs lots of socials and we have a casual 5-a-side sessions which I take part in with my colleagues of all demographics. There are many industry and community events to take part in for professional networking and learning new skills, as well as the university offerings many events to get involved with. There are lots of opportunities to give back to the community through volunteering activities which I am proud to take part in, such as attending career fairs and apprenticeship open evenings as a representative of IBM and MMU to help prospective apprentices begin their career or even help somebody begin their career change journey.

Yes

I would definitely recommend IBM to a friend as I've had an incredibly positive experience over the past four years as an IBM apprentice where I began my career after completing my A-levels during the COVID-19 pandemic which was a daunting time to begin ones career. I have worked on exciting projects with fantastic colleagues by my side, and it has been a continuous journey of opportunity. My degree apprenticeship is my second apprenticeship with IBM, which I began at the beginning of 2024 after completing a level 4 apprenticeship. This led to achieving a promotion equivalent to somebody in later stages of the graduate scheme, which shows that as an IBM apprentice, you are not held back from progression and IBM is kee to invest in your growth and development.

I found attending career fairs and apprenticeship open evenings incredibly helpful as it allows you to network with current and past apprentices to better understand what this pathway looks like and they can answer any questions you may have about apprenticeships. Doing this also helps you realise just how broad the offerings are in terms of what careers and industries you can enter via the apprenticeship route, as well as the types of companies which offer them.