Training to Employment: Alexia’s Journey as Business Analyst at Fortech
24 July 202321 July 2023 | People
Join us as we explore Alexia Gosu’s professional journey, starting with her enrollment in a Business Analysis Pre-employment Training Program at Fortech, a GlobalLogic Company. Through practical hands-on experiences, she discovered her passion for the field and embraced the challenges and opportunities it offered. With guidance from experienced mentors and the support of her team, Alexia successfully transitioned from the training program to a full-time role as a Business Analyst.
We explore the benefits of pre-employment programs for both participants and companies and shed light on the challenges Alexia faced along the way. Her story serves as inspiration for young professionals considering similar training programs, emphasizing the importance of dedication, curiosity, and embracing new experiences to unlock endless possibilities for personal and professional growth.
Learning and Growing
Alexia’s professional journey began in September 2022 when she joined Fortech as a Business Analyst. This marked her first employment opportunity as a 3rd-year student at the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty in Brasov, where she is majoring in Systems engineering.
Prior to joining Fortech and during her high school and student years, she explored various areas of the IT industry out of curiosity. This led her to enroll in courses covering different areas of IT to learn about each of them and find out if it was a match for her. During this exploration, she discovered the Business Analysis field, which sounded interesting enough to justify her enrollment in a pre-employment training program offered by Fortech, a GlobalLogic Company.
Alexia believes that her personal traits (sociability, empathy, and a desire to bring smiles to people’s faces) serve as significant assets in her chosen profession as a Business Analyst. Moreover, her determination and curiosity drive her to continually seek new challenges and opportunities, facilitating the constant improvement of her abilities. In her leisure time, she enjoys activities such as hiking, reading, and socializing with friends.
Alexia’s journey with Fortech started with a Business Analysis pre-employment training program in April 2022. This six-week program offered her a wonderful experience that combined theory and hands-on workshop sessions in a practical way. It also provided valuable insights and a substantial amount of knowledge about the role of a Business Analyst. With each session, Alexia’s enthusiasm and eagerness to learn grew. Eventually, she realized that she genuinely enjoyed the path of Business Analysis and had aspirations to pursue it as her career.
The program prepared Alexia for the responsibilities and expectations of her current role. Throughout the training, each participant was assigned a project on a specific topic, which allowed them to apply the learned concepts in practice. From identifying potential stakeholders and employing effective elicitation techniques to documenting requirements and business process modeling through diagrams, user stories, and backlog prioritization. Alexia gained hands-on experience and built a solid foundation in the fundamentals of Business Analysis.
Alexia on her first working day at Fortech.
Looking Back and Moving Forward
New opportunities always come with challenges, and pre-employment programs are no exception. For Alexia, the most challenging part of the training was the elicitation process, as it pushed her out of her comfort zone. Participants were encouraged to apply various techniques such as interviews, brainstorming sessions, focus groups, and questionnaires with potential stakeholders for their Business Analyst program’s final project. As Alexia gained experience through her first and second elicitation attempts, her confidence grew. She discovered that preparing in advance and conducting retrospective analyses were key to improving subsequent elicitation experiences.
Pre-employment programs provide vital opportunities for young professionals to learn new skills for their future roles. Alexia acquired technical and soft skills through workshop activities, homework, and projects. Most workshops were teamwork-based, which helped participants develop and strengthen essential competencies in communication, collaboration, and attention to detail. The curriculum covered project methodologies, stakeholders, team roles, and interactions. Moreover, it touched on business process modeling, user story writing, backlog prioritization, and designing wireframes. Finally, various elicitation techniques were analyzed and integrated into real-life examples.
In Fortech’s pre-employment programs, trainees work with experienced mentors fully prepared to teach them the fundamentals of their chosen field. Specific eLearning platforms are available to upload presentations, homework assignments, and additional questions, an approach that combines flexibility and efficiency in teaching in a hybrid setup: on-site and remote. Alexia saw this aspect as a great advantage since she lived in Brașov and attended all online sessions held in Cluj. Furthermore, mentors did a great job sharing the information on-site and online and making all participants feel included. Their constant support and willingness to clarify all emerging questions created an open and safe learning place. The interactive activities throughout the sessions kept trainees engaged from the beginning until the end of the training. Furthermore, at the end of the training, people got feedback from the mentors, which emphasized strengths and weaknesses to drive improvement.
Pre-employment programs are always a “win-win” for participants and the company. For trainees, having a mentor can help them adapt easily to the work environment and understand the expectations of the role, as well as have constant support and guidance on different tasks and projects. Through the training, the trainees can also gain valuable, hands-on work experience in a specific field, learn new skills, and network with other professionals. Moreover, they can explore a career path and make informed decisions about their professional journeys. From a company’s point of view, these programs allow companies to identify and train talented individuals for future positions who may have unique perspectives and skills beneficial to the organization. Besides, trainees can increase productivity within an organization, as they can reduce the workload of existing employees, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks.
Alexia hiking on the seven steps canyon, summer of 2022.
The End of a Journey and a New Beginning
Pre-employment programs are often great opportunities to turn a learning experience into a full-time job. After successfully completing the training program and presenting the final projects, Alexia got her dedication and potential rewarded with a Business Analyst position with Fortech, A GlobalLogic Company, which she gladly accepted. This exciting milestone also allowed Alexia to work alongside experienced team members who provide guidance and support, enabling her to gain practical experience and further develop her skills. She credits her achievement to being consistent, adaptable, dedicated, and maintaining a professional attitude. Alexia recommends that participants take the program seriously, nurture curiosity, learn from mentors, share knowledge and information with other participants, and consistently give their best work.
Upon securing her full-time role as a Business Analyst at Fortech, Alexia discovered an excellent match with the company’s culture. She found a highly supportive environment where team members and managers readily offer feedback and assistance. She values the company’s emphasis on professional development through diverse learning resources and platforms.
For hard-working young professionals who transition from pre-employment training to full-time positions, the future is always rich in opportunities. Alexia is currently assigned to two projects at Fortech, which allow her to acquire new practical skills. Looking ahead, this fresh Business Analyst plans to make use of all available learning resources and platforms to enhance her skills and expand her knowledge. Alexia intends to apply the lessons learned from her current projects, bring value to her team, and contribute to the overall success of these initiatives.
Lastly, Alexia offers valuable advice to those considering a pre-employment program: cherish every opportunity, step outside your comfort zone, and embrace challenges to unlock endless possibilities for personal and professional growth.
By embracing these principles, every young professional can embark on a transformative journey, leading to a rewarding career path that exceeds their expectations.
