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Chance to hone leadership skills

14 October 2009

Tessa O'Brien

Monash student Tessa O'Brien is looking forward to the opportunity to put theory into practice as one of 12 IBM Future Leaders Scholarship students.

The scholarship provides students with $27,000 over 18 months and the opportunity to complete a unique program of study that includes two complementary majors, one offered by the Faculty of Business and Economics and one by the Faculty of Information Technology.

It is designed to produce employment-ready graduates who have the discipline-base and personal skills required to lead cross-disciplinary teams in a rapidly changing business environment.

Although Tessa originally enrolled in a Bachelor of Marketing with public relations as one of her majors, she thinks the change from public relations to information technology actually makes more sense.

"Thanks to development in the technology of customer relationship management systems, marketers are able to pinpoint exactly who their customers are and provide more targeted and customised offerings," she said.

"IT knowledge is increasingly relevant as more people use the web as a source of information."

Tessa is confident the 22-week, full-time, industry-based learning project with IBM will provide the necessary work experience and employment skills to give her a competitive advantage.

Another feature of the program is the opportunity it provides for students to develop and hone leadership skills as part of the co-curricular and extracurricular learning program.

For students who are contemplating undergoing the IBM selection process in the future Tessa's advice is to "think about instances where you had to use your leadership skills and think outside the box."

"If you're the sort of person who excels in those situations, you will enjoy the program," she said.

For more information on this program contact Fiona Bertoli on +61 3 9902 6713 or Fiona.bertoli@buseco.monash.edu.au