Here at Software Solved we’re passionate about giving undergraduates the opportunity to further their careers; to discover the world of business and to combine genuine work experience whilst enhancing their academic knowledge.
We’ve been running a successful undergraduate placement scheme since 2007. This is a structured scheme with mentors in place for each individual and a portfolio of project work dependent on skills, expertise and ambitions. Several placement students have been employed by us upon graduation.
As a company, we’re keen to learn from the next generation of developers, business analysts and project managers so we can continue to grow and develop.
Our latest cohorts of graduates started on 4th January 2021 and we questioned them at the end of their first week to see what their first impressions of Software Solved were.
Zoe Taylor
Role: Undergraduate project manager/Business analyst
University: Exeter University
Course: Business & Management with Industrial Experience
Hoping to… To grow in my understanding of project management, but also to gain a greater awareness of Software Solved and the industry and to improve my own skills and abilities
Chloe Thorne
Role: Undergraduate Developer
University: Plymouth University
Course: Computer Science
Hoping to… Gain experience of working in the industry, improve my team working skills and to improve my development skills
Dan Hirst
Role: Undergraduate Developer
University: Plymouth University
Course: Computing
Hoping to… Learn how software is developed in a commercial environment and the type of tools a software company uses.
What were your long term expectations of taking on the undergraduate role:
Zoe;
- Be able to explain how the industry works and Software Solved USP
- Understand alternative project management techniques, tools that are used to manage risk and confident that I can use these going forward
- Be able to assess myself and have a more objective understanding of my skills, what I enjoy or don’t enjoy and what I’m good at or not as good at
- Form collaborative and constructive working relationships with the team and clients
- Generate some tangible deliverables that enable me to feel that I have actively contributed to the success of Software Solved and not just been an observer
Chloe;
- Expand my technical skills by learning new tools and techniques
- Be responsible for parts of a project
Dan;
- Learn how the development process of a company works when developing a new piece of software
- How a software company supports an existing piece of software
- Learn new software tools that the industry uses e.g., ASP.net
What were your short term expectations:
Zoe;
- Understand the business model and what the company does
- Understand the current projects
- Understand who does what in the team
- Understand the lingo!
- Be clear on what is expected from me over the next few months
Chloe;
- Get involved in some shadowing and where possible start having some responsibilities
- Get to know the project(s) I will be working on
- Receive the appropriate training so I can start working on projects
Dan;
- Learn how to use the development tools that software solved uses e.g., Jira
- Learn how testing of the software is performed to an industry standard. (automated and manual testing)
After just one week, what particular areas are of interest to you?
Zoe; Based on first impressions, I think the Project Manager side of my role catches my attention, I’m really up for learning and getting involved with both Business Analyst and Project Manager roles.
Chloe; I really like the Development aspect and also Testing, particularly Automation Testing
Dan; Developing and planning software development or improving on existing software, and also the automated testing of products
How was your first week at Software Solved?
Zoe; I really enjoyed my first week! I’ve never had such a thorough induction into a new job and company and felt this was really valuable for providing me with a broader understanding of what Software Solved does and what it is trying to achieve. I appreciated being able to shadow meetings to get an insight into the projects and start to learn how you go about managing projects.
Chloe; The induction of each team allows you to meet everyone and get an understanding of the structure of the business. I really liked the format of the morning stand-up on Monday – it was good to meet everyone. I also like that you meet as a company, rather than just individual teams all of the time. Issues are resolved quickly. E.g. We had an STK issue where no tasks were showing and Ryan stayed on the phone to solve the issue. It is good to have a mentor who we can go to throughout our placement and I enjoyed shadowing Jonathan, it was good to look at some projects.
Dan; I met a lot of people and learnt how the companies operates on a basic level. Everyone seems very approachable (even with remote working) and it seems like there is lots I can contribute to and learn from
Next month we’ll find out more about how Zoe, Chloe and Dan are settling into their roles.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our undergrad scheme?, take a look at this video from previous Undergraduate Sam Wooten about insights of his placement.
