Company: IBM
Date: 2021-01-14
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Junior

Business Decisions
Pros: A good group of people to work with at the peer level.
Cons: 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 an implicit pressure to learn the tools relevant to the team I was working under, and 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 we 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 moving the goal post 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.