Foundation Business Administrator for Education Review

My role is within an area called Foundation, where I am responsible for organising the government-run education for IBM Early Professionals. I organise the delegates (learners) enrolments and completions of their education to ensure apprenticeship success and pass external audits. I work with external clients who facilitate the courses, liaising with them and solving problems that arise. I also directly work with external DeVere clients to organise the logistics of the courses.

I have learnt a variety of skills whilst on my placement, as well as developing existing ones too. I have developed my communication and listening skills by talking to clients as well as listening to their needs. I have improved my commercial awareness by learning about IBM's values and keeping up to date with news and changes. I have also improved my client facing skills, including problem solving and working under time pressures.

Yes, I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement as I had to ensure that all IBM Early Professionals completed their education in a timely manner so that they would pass their apprenticeships. This was also important as IBM is externally audited on apprenticeships so incompletion of mandatory education could lead to IBM failing external audits. I was also responsible for communicating directly with external clients, being the face of IBM to organise the logistics for the courses.

During my placement, I received a lot of support and guidance; I had a Foundation Manager who was there to ease any concerns I had and who was able to support me throughout my placement. I also had my Task Manager who gave me guidance on my day-to-day role and was also always there to answer any questions. There are also a lot of services at IBM, eg massages, well-being workshops, mindfulness workshops, etc.

IBM has an amazing culture, they care about their people, they promote diversity and inclusivity; they include individuals from all diverse backgrounds and abilities. The general atmosphere in the office is great, everyone is so friendly and open to having a coffee chat. IBM has a lot of internal social events including networking, as well as external events at other offices like Adobe for example.

I really enjoyed my placement experience. I met some amazing people in my team as well as other Early Professionals at IBM and managers. I have networked a lot and the environment has been a great place to work at. I have improved my business knowledge and commercial awareness and have developed skills like client communication, time management and excel knowledge too. It has been an enjoyable experience and will miss it when I leave.

Yes

The advice I would give is to make sure you have researched IBM well, make sure you know IBM's values and growth behaviours and keep up to date with any emerging concepts or technologies, eg Generative AI. Try and be yourself during interviews, etc but also showcase your skills and give examples.