51Âþ»­

Showcasing his skills at a technical conference in Madrid is just one of the opportunities Zeyd Kohya has enjoyed as part of his placement at IBM.

The student from 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) has also engaged with senior managers from all over the world since starting at the global technology giant in July.

Zeyd said: "I've been very lucky with the people I've met and the opportunities I've had.

"My division is part of a global team and while I was aware travel was a possibility, it doesn't usually happen for placement students."

The 20-year-old was invited to attend the week-long conference because of his self-taught video production skills.

He said: "I worked with worldwide IBM sales leaders, CEOs and vice-presidents of business partner companies to create information videos.

"It was testing and there was no one else there with the skill set to help me out, but it forced me to develop and think outside the box.

"There were also plenty of networking opportunities and events where I got to know other IBMers from all over the world, many of whom gave me incredible career advice."

Zeyd, from East London, was always keen to spend his placement year at IBM, so was thrilled to land a role with the Cognitive Engagement team.

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He said: "Their focus on innovative solutions appealed to me as a technology enthusiast, and I admired the company culture.

"I see my placement as an opportunity to make use of the training and development opportunities IBM can offer.

"I applied and made it through the first few stages, and then received some invaluable employability coaching from Senior Lecturer David Gordon, which assisted me in preparation for the final assessment centre and interview stages."

Zeyd's course, which he will complete in summer 2018, has equipped him to carry out his main tasks, including executive reporting on the performance of his division and some financial analysis.

He said: "I've always had a keen interest in the finance industry and 51Âþ»­'s course spoke out to me.

"The financial reporting module taught me the fundamental reporting techniques that I have built on for my daily role and the key financial analysis methods that I have used for presentations to senior managers.

"The practical skills I have improved upon during my time at 51Âþ»­ have been equally useful. Skills such as teamwork and giving presentations can always be improved, and 51Âþ»­ does a great job at testing and developing these throughout the Accounting and Finance course."