PMO Analyst and Personal Assistant Review

On a daily basis I work for a Project Management Office of around 20 members, for a project exceeding 1000 employees. I mainly complete administrative duties such as reporting and providing members with certain IT access, but I also chair or note-take meetings. Additionally I am a part-time personal assistant for one of our VPs of consulting, managing his diary and conversing with the client on a regular basis.

In addition to working towards attaining a BSc in Digital Solutions (Business Management), I have also completed training to become a mental-health first-aider and an office fire-marshal. In this summer I have committed to completing Prince2 qualification as well. On a personal and professional skill-level, my communication skills have greatly improved, especially with the client. I have also learned IT skills I did not expect to, such as a basic understanding of accounting and programming.

The programme is incredibly difficult. It makes attaining a work-life balance near impossible, leading to a lot of stress. However work is very supportive, I have a great line manager and team. The company culture is supportive of flexible work arrangements which help make our work a little easier, and are supportive of providing emotional counselling. I do enjoy the programme, the work is interesting and varied, and overall I am glad I am on the programme.

The programme itself has gone through a lot of changes over my few years with the company. The inductions told us how to use the IT systems and promoted networking but little else. The support and structure at University is also poor. The mentor system could use great improvement. Students are often kept in the dark about future goings-on.

Overall, my manager and team have been excellent with their emotional support. The HR team is offshore and difficult to get in contact with so not very helpful for formal issues. Counselling services are easily accessible if needed. CGI is in general very supportive. Mentors and student HR teams are less forthcoming and helpful with support. It is not made clear what they can and cannot offer us.

Certain members of the university are far more supportive than others. Ben Sanders has been exceptional at turning the programme around, and Claire Ancient has also been a great module leader. Support from those members are always available and very helpful. The general attitude towards support is mixed. Many lecturers do not grasp that we work full-time. Overall the learning is worthwhile but the classroom experience very lacking.

In some cases i have put the theory into practice. However in the majority of cases it is the work which influences my education during the degree. I think overall the degree is impressive to have and beneficial to the IT industry, but cannot say that the knowledge influences me at work.

Yes, plenty. We have many company sponsored events, be it individuals or teams, and events/activities they sponsor at a reduced rate. Lots of volunteer initiatives at local schools and areas. Just little in my area as I live far from office. I would like to pursue some of these items when I actually have time to myself (not the case while completing this programme).

Yes

I've had an overall positive experience working for CGI, and gaining experience and a degree is invaluable. The course is worthwhile completing, it's a varied degree for everyone, even those unsure of what they want in the future, the company benefits are great and the pay is very good for our level

Apply early, plan all your responses in a word document rather than in a browser. Attend assessment days with the view that you want to enjoy them, and remember to be noticeable (but in a good way). Try and get onto a project as soon as possible. Would have liked to have been told in advance what projects I would be working on.