IBM

A good group of people to work with at the peer level.

Questionable behavior from management.

Covid-19 made a difficult situation for everyone at every level of work, which is why this is a 2-star review and not a 1-star.

For the apprenticeship in BR, you're promised to learn a variety of IT skills over the course of a year. It's a written document with a fairly unambiguous skills list. What I experienced was implicit pressure to learn the tools relevant to the team I was working under and to forego learning anything unrelated. The plan seemed to be to just get some quick videos to watch that direct management could verify were reviewed and then check a box.

Speaking to different levels of management about it felt like I was being brushed off, though in a very polite manner.

Once Covid-19 really started to take off, apprentices were placed on a "project" involving the unemployment claims systems along with other IBM organizations. We were initially told we would be rotated out in a month and would still have the time to work on our apprentice material.

The month came and went. Those promises left with it, and so did I.

The pandemic situation has been dynamic, so I can't blame anyone for not knowing how long it would last or for moving the goalposts, so to speak. However, the BR apprenticeship seemed like a means of gathering unsuspecting individuals with the hope of a future in IT and locking them into a low-pay role for an extended period.

Those with talent and free time would build their skills on their own time and eventually move on to a location where they can make 2 or 3 times as much money. Those without would be stuck.

If your sales pitch starts with "We want to help you develop, and whether or not you choose to stay with IBM at the end of your apprenticeship, you will have a good set of skills in the end and be a spokesperson for IBM technology."

I should not, in a meeting with my manager, ever hear, "You wouldn't want to take all of these skills and leave, would you?"

I should not be in a situation where the advertised learning is being put on the chopping block because "that won't be important to work on this team, right?"