Business Insight Week Review

The first day was an induction day, during which we were given a useful and interactive introduction to the different lines of service in which PwC operates. After this, we spent three days in the offices, helped by a "buddy" on the graduate or apprenticeship scheme. I was placed in the One Learning and Development Office, where I was tasked with creating a spreadsheet to model changes to the internal training programs. On the final day, all students on the Business Insight Week (the program I was on) were tasked with creating presentations about technology and sustainability in groups.

Meeting a wide range of people helped me to improve my interpersonal and communication skills. Since my work during the days I spent in the Learning and Development Office involved Excel, my skills using this program increased considerably, especially because the Senior Manager on my team was happy to give feedback. Working on the presentation on my final day may also have helped improve my presentation and teamworking skills.

I found the program a very enjoyable experience. There were opportunities to meet fellow Business Insight Week students, and the permanent PwC employee I was "buddied" with was very friendly, so there was no possibility of feeling isolated. Moreover, the work I was given to do, producing a spreadsheet that would be used to plan future Learning and Development programs, felt meaningful, and was not too mechanical a task.

PwC look likely to keep in touch with participants in the Business Insight Week, which certainly makes me feel valued. The permanent employeesw on the team I was working in, including senior managers, were very approachable, and gave the impression that they valued the work I was producing for them. Obviously, though, there were a large number of students on the Business Insight Week program, so the extent to which individuals could be valued was limited.

The program was very well structured, although some other Business Insight Week students found themselves with little work to do, so some more support from the HR team for the apprentices/ associates being assigned Business Insight Week buddies may have been beneficial. In particular, a contingency plan (eg an alternative buddy) was needed for when buddies were on client site/ in confidential meetings where they were unable to take Business Insight Week students

N/A

My buddy (an employee who had just finished their apprenticeship program) was very supportive, as were her senior managers. The HR team were also very welcoming, and gave an informative (though at times somewhat boring) induction day.

Being paid for a work experience program was unusual, and the pay was excellent

N/A because we were only there for one week

Yes

The experience was definitely a positive one. I was given meaningful work to do, and work which I felt was likely to improve my skills. I gained a great insight into PwC's work in the professional services industry, and into the difference between it and the other Big Four firms. And it will certainly boost my CV!

Before the telephone interview, make sure you have good answers planned to standard questions such as "Why do you want to work at PWC?" or "Why do you think you would be a good participant in the Business Insight Week program?" Ignore the information given about the interview being competency based-I was not asked about any specific competencies. The onboarding process, which involves numerous security checks, involves quite a lot of work, but is definitely worth it!