Claire Leckey, third year Newcastle Business School (NBS) Business Studies student is one of sixteen students from Universities around the UK who has been chosen to participate in this years Extreme Blue innovation programme, run by IBM.
Claire Leckey using
mobile technology
The scheme challenges a group of four graduates to develop the technology, along with a business plan for a new product or service that addresses an existing market challenge. The scheme is based at IBM Hursley Park near Winchester.
The project had been running for the last seven years with over 90% of the students now working or being offered positions within IBM.
Over the last twelve weeks Claire who has the title - IBM Software Developer and LAMA project business analyst and her team have developed an application designed for mobile devices, which provides its users with a wide range of services relevant to their location.
The services on offer include useful day to day information, such as news reports, or more critical information such as fire alarms where the phone keeps beeping until it has registered that the user is in a safe environment. It is mostly beneficial to deaf people, with its aim to get information to people when and where they need it in an accessible format.
There are four teams of undergraduates involved in the programme, with the teams consisting of both business and technical members (one business student and three technical students). The teams are supported by IBM technical mentors who share knowledge, resources and ideas with the team. A business mentor is also provided for each team.
This unique scheme gives the students a fantastic opportunity to take ownership of a project, and work on what is effectively a blank canvas. The experience gained on the scheme is invaluable and allows the students exposure to senior technical and Executive IBMers throughout the programme.
Previous years have generated significant Intellectual Property and 2006 is set to continue this trend, with disclosures being drafted after just four weeks.
This year projects are also being developed in Dublin, La Gaude, Boeblingham and Amsterdam, with all of them coming together at an Expo - held this year at IBM La Gaude, France. The students will meet the other teams and are given the opportunity to present and demonstrate their projects to senior executives and technical employees from around Europe.
The project allows the students to build strong networks early on in their careers with the hope of a good start to the future!
Claire said: "The Placement team at NBS have been such a help, they gave me the confidence to apply to work for IBM as part of my placement year, which has led to so many fantastic opportunities for me now and for the future."
For further information on NBS's range of undergraduate programmes which open up unlimited opportunities for the future please contact Admissions.
Date Posted: 30.10.06