• I wanted relevant work experience for my degree

• I thought it would improve my graduate prospects

• I didn't know what career I wanted at the end of my studies, so wanted to gain experience

• I wanted to develop on-the-job skills to help the rest of my degree

Researching companies I want to work for, then seeing the opportunities available

Having the opportunity to network with all the IBM placement students and staff across the country at hackathons and other events.

• A greater awareness of which sector you want to work in

• Developed technical skills

• Developed professional skills

• A wider professional network

• Awareness of the roles I do/do not want to do in the future

We’ve found the industrial placement program very beneficial and hope that same is true for the students. It gave us the opportunity to work with some fresh minds which helped bring new ideas to the table. Especially, in the case of Ike, we’ve enjoyed working with her and were really impressed by her ability to pick the technology that we use here at IBM, in such a small duration. She helped us develop the automated tests to improve the quality of our product, also she was keen on learning the internals of our product and has contributed with the development of a new feature of our product.

Take every opportunity you're given, you will definitely gain something. Regardless of if you're invited to a social event or a professional event, definitely attend or volunteer for opportunities and get to know people