Featured Apprentice Story

Euan is a Service Designer working on innovation processes for IBM’s Healthcare and Life Sciences business, working on critical services affecting millions of citizens’ lives each day. As a service designer, he looks at services from an end-to-end perspective to ensure that users are met with a seamless experience from when a process is begun to upon completion. Day-to-day, Euan is currently working on integrating 3rd party suppliers into one of the UK healthcare organisation’s most important live services. His role is vital for the success of this programme as he ensures the introduction of sustainable solutions that allow optimal experiences for citizens, allowing them to complete their needs efficiently and effectively. Euan is also co-leads of IBM’s Apprentice Community which supports over 300 apprentices within the organisation to create a vibrant and supportive environment. This involves Euan dedicating his time beyond his busy day-to-day role to plan and run a mixture of ‘career’ and ‘social’ events that ensure easy integration into the organisation, allowing apprentices to develop both their networks and skillset.

Euan is a Service Designer working in IBM iX (IBM’s global experience design partner within IBM Consulting) where he works at the intersection of business, design, and technology. He specialises in our Healthcare and Life Sciences business but has also had experience across multiple private sector clients.

In the last year of his Business Management degree apprenticeship, Euan has consistently achieved far more than expected of him. Unequivocally, Euan demonstrates that consistent hard work pays off, as proven by his impressive performance reviews, achieving ‘exceptional’ in all categories. This result reflected his devotion, passion, and responsibility to others. This hard work has shown through the accolades he has gathered so far, being awarded the runner-up prize at the Targetjobs and University of Kent Apprentice of the Year awards. Furthermore, he was a finalist in the IBM Consulting’s ‘Personify our Practices’ Awards which aims to honour those delivering excellent client success.

Euan’s previous projects have included experience in the Financial, Distribution, and Energy & Utilities industries. Within his IBM and client team working in the distribution industry, Euan established himself as a trusted source, being recognised for developing and leading excellent relationships. He delivered ‘thought’ leadership in IBM Garage (our new model for working with clients at scale). Euan recognised this shift in ways of working early on, using initiative to upskill in the area, advocating its widespread adoption and training colleagues. With his new skillset, Euan played an integral role in a core team that has supported delivering over $5 million in revenue for IBM. His work impressed global leaders and senior partners - "Euan is an exceptional consultant with a very bright future".

Currently, Euan works as a Service Designer on a digital healthcare product that has over 30 million UK citizens interacting with it on a daily basis. He is responsible for the continuous improvement of the service, allowing citizens to achieve healthcare advice or aid as quickly as possible to a high quality. He is such a trustworthy asset to the team that they have now expanded his role to also own the Service Design for the integration of third parties into the service to ensure their offerings fit into the wider strategy and improve the app overall for citizens.

Euan's passion for apprenticeships is omnipresent and he advocates that every apprentice in the organisation be viewed as an equal employee. On top of his day-to-day role, Euan is the Co-Lead of IBM’s Apprentice Community which aims to ensure all apprentices are integrated into the organisation comfortably and subsequently feel supported at every opportunity, making their work life enjoyable.

He directly engages with and supports over 300 apprentices from across the United Kingdom to facilitate progression-focused events and provide opportunities for apprentices to develop their networks and skillsets. As well as these events, he runs a quarterly newsletter, releases day-in-the-life videos for different apprentices and records interviews with a variety of people based on topics which are useful for apprentices.

Euan recently recorded a whole video series to support apprentices with their End Point Assessments. He had heard that some apprentices nearing the end of their apprenticeship felt unprepared for their EPAs, so took the initiative to change this. He met with managers and alumni apprentices from every single IBM pathway, over ten, to record videos answering questions and logging advice for future apprentices going through the process.

A central source of information for apprentices that Euan constantly updates is the internal Apprentice Community website which has generated over 4000 interactions since Euan has led the community. Here, a quarterly newsletter is released which focuses on updating apprentices on a variety of topics and provides relevant and timely information that can assist their day-to-day working lives.

As part of this role, Euan also led National Apprenticeship Week in 2022. He engaged with a managed a team of over 50 IBMers which included apprentices, interns, Early Professional Managers, and members of IBM’s Senior Leadership Team. The week of events ideated by Euan and his fellow leadership team included public sessions that were hosted online to prospective apprentices and others, which included a visit from the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills at the time, Alex Burghart MP. The week was a huge success, generating increased interest in apprenticeships with over 600 applications for IBM’s Degree Apprenticeship pathway in less than 24hrs and over apprentice 1,300 applications during NAW alone. Due to this success, Euan has been asked to lead National Apprenticeship Week in 2023 too.

He also reverses mentors' senior stakeholders, to ensure that they understand the importance of apprentices being on their team and the many benefits this will create for them. His efforts to close the gap between generations can also be seen through his work with external organisations. Accordingly, he has a position on Youth advisory boards - representing Europe and the thousands that interact with the organisation monthly, to advocate the importance of Gen Z and to help to create a voice for other generations.

Euan works with organisations such as ‘Not Going to Uni’ and ‘Amazing Apprenticeships’ to advocate for apprenticeships and articulate their importance and why they should be viewed with equal weight to every other option that exists for young people. This has led to speaking to schools across the country; starring in documentaries which have generated thousands of views on YouTube; recording podcasts released on Spotify with tens of thousands listening and creating an apprenticeship Instagram for current and prospective apprentices.

Euan's passionate advocation has also developed into work with charities attempting to solve the problem of youth unemployment. He provides thought leadership during his apprenticeship, has spoken at the House of Lords Youth Unemployment Committee, supported creating reports, lobbied at APPGs about options for disadvantaged children, and worked with schools affected by tragic events such as Kensington Aldridge Academy.