The first months as an IT trainee at ArcelorMittal.
Discover the story of Andy
Meet Andy, IT trainee within the ScaleUp project at ArcelorMittal. A big strategical project with one Supply Chain across Europe as the end goal. He is currently on his first assignment where he is part of the integration team. With his strong technical background, sharp analytical prowess and his ambition to become a technical expert, the end goal of his traineeship is the position of IT analyst. We had a little chat with Andy to discover more about his responsibilities and the role of IT within this project team.
Let’s start with the basics.
Can you tell us a bit more about the ScaleUp project you are part of?
The ScaleUp project is a big project to create one Supply Chain across all European business units. Like this, they want a more harmonized and efficient process. Currently, the project is in the stage of rolling out. There are plenty of countries already using the full system, while others are still in roll-out. Each country has its own internal systems, so fine tuning is always needed. Still a couple of years ahead before the roll-out is completed in all European units.
And what is the role of IT in this project?
ArcelorMittal created an application from scratch for this project. I believe it is very cool, but also very complicated. It is important to invest time in understanding this tool to make sure you can have an impact.
Since I wasn’t part of the team from the beginning, I can only share more about the role of IT from my experience and within the current phase of the project of course. The tool and its basics are there, and now we are adding new features to make the process even more efficient. As an IT trainee, I am not involved in the decisions about what needs to be added, but as an analyst, I’m involved in the discussions on how, together with the business and the IT architect. An analyst has a clear vision of the code and that’s where we can add value to these decisions.
And your role as a trainee?
It is something that grows. In the beginning, it was a bit slower since I had to read a lot of documents and watch recordings, but it is also very necessary to understand the project and the tool. Afterward I joined more meetings and went through features with an experienced IT analyst. A real added value since he knew the ins and outs of the components the team works on and could provide me with a clear understanding of the flow between them. Since he is transferring to become an IT architect himself, I get more and more responsibilities myself. It does give me confidence that I can still ask him to check my work, which he does pretty quick since he has seen plenty of bugs over the years.
What are these responsibilities for the moment?
I am responsible for analyzing incidents in production that involve my team’s components and to make sure a solution will be implemented in the future. Furthermore, I analyze plenty of business features to limit the number of bugs when we go into production. These analyses are also important to make sure the developers have enough work.
When you look at your current assignment, is coding important?
I am currently working on the development of user stories based on the business needs. This means I analyze the current code to see if we can reuse parts, what we need to adapt and if those adaptation will impact other components. As you can see, some experience with coding comes in handy, yes. But it is more than that! I am in contact with the business a lot, so communication skills and a healthy interest in the business aspect are useful too.
I feel like my responsibilities are growing and the content of my job comes closer to the role of an IT analyst.
Almost two months in, how do you feel about ArcelorMittal?
It was very pleasant actually. Even though there is a hierarchical structure within ArcelorMittal, I do not experience it myself. There is a clear focus on teamwork and a lot of trust. I immediately got the chance to work from home as well.
Furthermore, I have a lot of one-on-one meetings with my assignment manager. He does plenty of check-ins on how I feel, what I am working on, my needs, … This really helps me to grow and to discuss further steps within my trajectory.
Why should young talents with a passion for IT choose this traineeship according to you?
For me, there are three things that really make this traineeship special. First of all, the chances you get as an IT trainee within this project. You really get to see both the business and development side of the ScaleUp project. I love feeling part of the bigger picture and the decisions on what, how, why…
Secondly, the environment you’ll work in is very interesting. You become part of an international and multicultural company and project where you’ll interact with different types of people. Last but not least, you get 2 years of guidance by Ormit Talent. In their people skill trainings, you’ll get to work on skills you’re not very strong at. I have already learned more about the importance of open questions, how to provide good feedback and how to handle conflict situations. All an added value for the role of an IT analyst for sure.
Andy is still looking for colleagues. Eager to develop them in an IT environment and discover there part: technical expertise of IT management.