Where are the emerging Jedi since completing their training?

In October 2022, we embarked on our first Graduate Scheme with an intake of 8 Graduates.  In NWT, we call them our ‘Emerging Jedi’.

We received an overwhelming number of applicants which thoroughly exceeded our expectations.  We started with a graduate recruitment fair at Sussex University in April 2022, several recruitment activities later and we had over 250 applicants.  After a robust recruitment process including some virtual and face to face assessment centres, we were very pleased to offer opportunities to our 8 Emerging Jedi.

We were under no illusion that going through this process for the first time was going to be a learning curve for us as a business, and we have been open about this with the Jedi at all times.  We have ensured that we have always enabled open 2-way communication which has allowed us all to learn from each other and will therefore enable us to improve the process for the 2023 scheme.

Carlie Paton – Chief of Staff, interviewed the current Emerging Jedi to get their thoughts on the scheme so far …

What advice would you give the new intake of Graduates?

Druthi –Never be afraid to take initiative, in NWT ideas are always heard, so not limiting yourself is the best way to learn new skills. Reach out and ask questions as everybody in NWT is always ready to help. Keep an open mind to learn about different business functions and you might end up liking something which you thought was not your cup of tea.

What is the most valuable thing you have learnt from working at NWT so far?

Roy – For me its about giving everything a chance.  I made an assumption that as I was technical, I would work only on technical projects, however within my rotations I also experienced different areas.  It caught me off guard but I learnt to have an attitude to learn and it helped me grow.  I ended up really enjoying marketing which I would have never thought beforehand. It taught me to give everything a go – you might just like it!

Name 3 skills that you have learnt at NWT?

Sarah – Firstly, I think my communication skills have developed. Developing this skill has enabled me to ask questions and bring up new ideas regarding different projects within New World Tech. I have communicated with people in person, on teams calls and through other digital media such as email and social media. I think that this is a skill that is so important to use with clients so I can interact with different types of people, navigate conversations, and effectively contribute to their projects with full understanding.

Another important skill I have learnt in my time at New World Tech is organisation. I have learnt to prioritise key tasks to meet deadline’s, but I have also learnt the importance of saving things in the right place so I can keep track of where they are when I need them-when I first started, I was saving things all over the place in my OneDrive, confluence and downloads folder on my laptop. I have found the Jira board such a useful tool to keep track of tasks and stay organised. Prioritisation and organisation will be a key aspect when working with clients and using their systems, whether it be Atlassian, ServiceNow or different software.

And lastly, and probably most importantly, my technical skills have developed significantly in my time with New World Tech. I am now confident in the role I could play with clients and know that I will make a positive impact on the projects I assist with.

What feedback would you give following the journey so far with NWT?

Lauren – Everyone has been so supportive since I started which really made a difference. Especially having regular one-on-ones with my mentor. I think something that could have been done better is an explanation of the type of workload for each rotation, but saying that, after the first couple you tend to work that out and get into the hang of things anyway.

What do you think about the culture and values of NWT now you have finished your first three months?

Ian – The culture at NWT is very welcoming and inclusive. As a new graduate coming in, I thought I might have more problems settling in. I like the fact that in the culture there are very ethical discussions about situations, integrity is obviously very important within NWT.

What do you like most about working for NWT?

Nazrin – Everything has been great so far. The perks of working for an SME are that we have direct access to the senior team which enables us to get feedback from extremely experienced people.  There is also lots of flexibility. For example, if we suggest something, it is always considered and quite often we can find a way to make something work.

What is your greatest accomplishment at NWT?

Cameron – It would be dashboard that I made for Kieron (COO) in my first week.  I managed to use the JIRA API to build a reporting dashboard which enables us to monitor tasks within a project which is now being modified and implemented both internally and externally which I am very proud of. It was so exciting being able to bring value to the company so soon, and I had so much support from Kieron while working on this project.

How do you go about getting organized and accomplishing your goals daily?

Harry – I manage all of my meetings through Outlook and check if I need to schedule meetings for the following day and what gaps I have. I also use JIRA boards, I have one for my personal work and then use the relevant shared boards too to monitor and manage my tasks. Having the relevant Jira boards is really helpful to me as it tracks all of my assignments from backlog, all the way across the Kanban to completion. This allows me take a really agile approach to the way I work, dropping in and out of tasks as they get updated and priorities change.

What is your favourite moment so far?

At the end of each interview, each Jedi was asked what their favourite moment has been working at NWT so far.  Although the Christmas party which took place at Bounce in Farringdon, London was a popular choice, probably due to it’s competitive nature (this was mainly Glenn, CEO), the resounding winner was the Pizza day.  In November, all of the Emerging Jedi met with some of the NWT team for a pizza in London.  Everyone had some time to get to know each other and did a quiz about each other. Following this, some of the NWT team had to head to other meetings in London and left the Jedi to have some time to get to know each other further.  They were given a budget for the rest of the day with the only instruction being to have fun and take plenty of photos. The feedback from the day was that it was great for them to all meet each other (2 of the Jedi hadn’t started yet) on a personal level as well as a work level and it has enabled them to be much closer and support each other if they have any queries.

Overall, NWT are extremely proud of the scheme that we have built and are even more proud of the Jedi team.  They have all added such value to NWT and have enabled us in many ways with their knowledge and experience in many areas.  They are due to finish their rotations within the business in the coming weeks and we can’t wait to see them flourish further within the business thereafter.

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