Governance and Risk Management Specialist Review

My placement was brilliant. The role was suited to me very well, the team I worked with were encouraging and welcoming and the overall support given from IBM was great.

As I integrated more into my team I felt continually more valued. I was given important responsibility from early on, and was entrusted with more and more critical work as the year went on.

Both my task manager and my EPM were incredibly supportive in all areas of work that I was interested in. I was encouraged to launch education workshops, take on demanding roles and was given support from the whole team with my university work and reapplications.

My role isn't a straightforward continual workload role. Depending on the team schedule we could be working away from our location, with lots to do; or prepping for our upcoming project . Overall throughout the year I would say the workload was about right.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement year. Towards the end of the year I was given the lead on several projects, and allowed to take a very active approach in the leadership of projects we had on-going.

Many of the skills I have learnt will stay with me for life. They involve professionalism, dealing with conflict, the use of confidence and voice in a business environment. Plus I was given insight into the workings of a large business, and how the external and internal environments change and progress.

The general atmosphere was hard-working and productive, but also very collaborative and enjoyable. Work relationships were important to all within the team, so out of office hours social events were arranged. Furthermore, during projects based away from our base location, it was necessary to be working with a close-knit team. There is no doubt in my mind that the structure of my team helped significantly in the success of our projects, and in my enjoyment and learning through my placement year.

The induction sessions were organised well, but could've been consolidated to a day. Furthermore, the tech set-up sessions weren't run particularly smoothly, with several interns experiencing problems. However, the placement scheme as a whole is very well thought-out and integrated into the company. Education and opportunities to advance your experiences and knowledge are readily available, and the support available is brilliant.

I sought out education in areas I was personally interested in, which the company was very supportive of. They also have a whole training platform which gives detailed indepth into the global attitudes and direction of the company. It really helps your understanding of the business world.

Not only is the retainment rate high, you also receive a huge amount of support and guidance on your re-application. Furthermore due to the size of the company, the options for roles are very broad.

There was a very good social scene amongst fellow placement students. Those of us who had the same EPM generally organised events with each other and the EPM to be both social and useful in terms of our career. The social scene with colleagues was also very important, especially when working away on projects. I never experienced any form of separation between the interns and non-intern staff. Everyone integrated with no problems.

Rent and socialising was acceptable for the salary I was on. I never felt strapped for cash, however you definitely couldn't afford to go out every night of the week, an element of budgeting was recquired.

There were plenty of restaurants, bars and night clubs. The town centre, although not particularly big, did have a very good selection of places to spend your evening.

There were plenty of opportunities for activities outside of work. There were local discounted gyms with our corporate discount, running clubs, cinemas, clubs and societies.