Graduate Programme Spotlight - Jemma Connor

Name:

Jemma Connor

Course studied / Degree:

B.Sc. Computer Science (Software Systems Development)

What does Covernet’s grad programme offer?

Covernet’s grad programme offers 1 on 1 training and demonstrations of all the systems that you will need to use, from how the front-end systems work to the databases on the backend. The training is given on each aspect of the Software Development Lifecyle including Business Analysis, Development and Quality Assurance. This provided a real understanding of how the different areas of the business work together and gave me the opportunity to meet my colleagues remotely.

Once you complete the training, you are given the opportunity to develop a fully functional insurance product. This gives an excellent insight into how all the compounds work together and the functionality used in the products. You also gain the experience of how to write and complete test cases, which are a necessary aspect of every project. During the development of the product, you are given a supervisor who will assist with any queries or issues that may occur. After the training is complete you begin to work on real world client projects which involves working with some of the largest and most influential insurance companies in the market.

What are your key learnings to date?

Covernet is an excellent place to work, the staff are all very welcoming and friendly which helped me to settle into the company quite quickly as it can be daunting to start a new job (especially after you have just graduated and also mid pandemic!).

As part of the graduate scheme, I have informal monthly catch-up meetings with my line manager. I also have a more structured trimonthly review with my manager to discuss my performance and progress in different skills areas. These are Leadership, Teamwork, Skills, Communication, Delivery and Business Awareness. This is a very useful indication on how my skills are progressing from each review. It gives me the chance to see what areas I am performing well in and if necessary, the areas to improve on.

I really enjoy the freedom and support that comes along with the projects. During the last month I have started working on much larger projects than the previous months. My skills and knowledge in programming, testing and databases have developed significantly since joining Covernet and I’m excited to continue learning new skills and technologies.

Read more graduate stories with Enda McVey and Andy Kyle.