Strategic Alliance Review

The internship was a very insightful year in terms of discovering the potential that is unlocked within you. It is a challenging year filled with moments of joy and pain as a result of the responsibilities provided. I enjoyed the internship and would highly recommend an internship with Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

I did feel valued by my colleagues, I would have regular meetings with my team members where they would inform me where I could add value. As a result of being the sole person in the team which was creating reports and being able to use this data to develop insight, it was extremely useful for the team.

The strategic alliance role was a challenging role; from the start of the internship it was essential that I was not reliant on being taught the role in terms of completing duties. It was imperative that I used my initiative and was pro-active in my approach to learn techniques which prove to be of value to the team. I was provided with guidance and support throughout the year; my team members did take an interest in what I wanted to gain from the internship and hence, guided me towards gaining skills in those areas.

During the internship I reported to 6 team members, as a result of this I was kept quite busy throughout the year with a good amount of projects which I could be involved with. I was constantly involved in data analysis activities.

During the internship I was given the responsibility of creating and managing several SharePoint Sites primarily for collaboration between HPE and Partners. In addition to this, I was also given the responsibility of coordinating and assisting in partner events. I was also involved with forecasting which was presented to higher management. The responsibilities of the role led to added pressures which ultimately led to me being able to deal with problems.

The skills I developed as part of being an intern at HPE helped immensely to develop my data analysis and project management skills. I study ICT at university therefore the responsibilities I had in terms of forecasting and managing partner events contributed to my degree and beyond; I was continuously developing my interpersonal skills throughout the internship by being involved in customer meetings.

The atmosphere in the office is very professional. There is an open door policy with no designated offices and there is a possibility that you could be sitting next to the MD of UKI! In the office we also hold events which develop understanding of startups like Docker over pizza and beer. During Wimbledon, the office hosted Prosecco, Strawberries and Cream whilst watching a live stream on one of our floors! Amazing atmosphere in the office.

The overall work placement set up was quite disorganized as there was no on-boarding for my role when I first stepped in. As the placement unravelled it became a bit better in terms of the duties and responsibilities.

The firm did invest in my development and training throughout the year. The firm did invest their time in providing me with meaningful work

Graduate opportunities and future employment prospects are quite high, as a result of the support from my team. There are vast options within the organisation after graduation. The areas in which I could apply to are quite broad ranging from technical consultant, presales specialist to sales and marketing,

Within HPE there are interns based both in Bracknell and London, there are a lot of events throughout the year for socialising; fantastic charity events throughout the year, intern ball at the start and end of the placement.

The cost of living and socializing was fairly expensive. During the first month of the internship, a large number of the intern community stayed in Reading halls and then following this moved into houses/apartments. The cost of living was fairly expensive ranging up to £500 per month, which is almost half of the monthly wage. The cost of socialising in addition to this is quite costly. Personal Experience: I lived at home and commuted to the London Office - £33 per week TFL weekly pass (The other office is Bracknell where a lot of the interns were based)

During the internship, every Thursday was an intern social event hence, the nightlife was pretty good with a lot of options.

Many opportunities - charity events and socials.