Project Support Review
at IBM
Degree Apprenticeship
Software Engineering
Manchester
Review Submitted: April 2025
Overall Rating
4.4 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4.5/5
-
Overview of Role
4/5
-
Skills Development
4.4/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
have the opportunity to interact with all the teams across the project and provide general support to them. This includes creating commentary for the service team, daily stand ups with the project management team, reviewing the database queries, getting involved in change managment and testing the product with the testing team
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
5/5
I enjoy the digital technology and solutions degree, facilitated by Manchester metropolitan university, a lot. It involves going into university once a week, following an 80 20 split. Having chosen my pathway, i feel as though the course content heavily links with the work i carry out within the company, providing further context.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
Due to the nature of my role, I have been able to attain an array of new skills. Initially, I was most comfortable with the project management aspect of it, however as I was exposed to it more, I have been able to strengthen my excel VBA (visual basic studio) skills, information gathering and reporting skills.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
5/5
As mentioned, the program structure follows an 80 20 split, going into university once a week and the rest of the week dedicated to working within a project for IBM. The job role and the education provided by MMU link together so I find the format very useful and conducive to facilitating growth as an apprentice.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
I am happy to say that I feel as though IBM. go above and beyond when it comes to providing support to their apprentices and young professionals. I have a foundation manager, dedicated to ensuring i achieve all goals in order to attain a degree apprenticeship. I have my line manager, who is also receptive to when I request a little time when it isn't busy to do university work
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
4/5
I receive a lot of support from my training provider when working towards your qualifications. I am happy to say that I feel as though IBM go above and beyond when it comes to providing support to their apprentices and young professionals. I have a foundation manager, dedicated to ensuring i achieve all goals in order to attain a degree apprenticeship. I have my line manager, who is also receptive to when I request a little time when it isn't busy to do university work.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
I feel as though the course content we learn at university heavily links with the work i carry out within the company, providing further context.The job role and the education provided by MMU link together so I find the format very useful and conducive to facilitating growth as an apprentice.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
4/5
I like to consistently get involved in any extra-curricular activities hosted by IBM, especially when it link to my degree apprenticeship pathway. For example, I attended an IBM and Barclays partnered event regarding sustainability and AI, a topic that directly relates to the "emerging technologies" module I am learning about in university
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend IBM to a friend?
Yes
Why?
I would absolutely recommend IBM to a friend, and have done. Not only do they adopt a robust support system for apprentices, the projects are incredibly receptive to training up apprenticeships and furthering their development. Most importantly, the office has a community of young professionals that are always there to provide insights to new starters
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to IBM?
I would recommend creating a strong CV, listing all the experiences you have accumulated. I would strongly recommend you read up on the history of IBM, how they were pioneers in technology. Its worth reading up on cutting edge technologies and industries that IBM are interested in to mention in your interview. Most importantly, be yourself!
