Industry-Based Learning - Student Profiles

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Cross-disciplinary Student Profile

Lucas White - Coordinator Supplier Development

I am an IBL Business student completing my IBL placement in the Purchasing Department of Ford Motor Company. Not all IBL placements are necessarily directly related to your chosen major. Although my Business major is in Marketing, the area at Ford where I am employed is Supplier Development. This area covers various disciplines including Information Technology/ eBusiness, Marketing, Accounting, Design and Engineering.

I have found Ford Motor Company to be a fantastic place to work. Throughout my time here as an IBL student I have been exposed to many different areas of business and have been assigned various tasks and responsibilities. Some areas that my job involves are: Information Management, Government Grant Reporting, Facilitator Coordination, Reports Management, Lean Manufacturing, Total Cost Management, Database Management and Design, Event Management, Process Improvement, Motorsport, New Model Launch, Supplier Quality Assurance and of course the day to day administration of the Supplier Development area. The most important thing about Ford is that they actually give IBL students real responsibility.

Working in a company such as Ford allows IBL students to learn a lot about the dynamics of big business. I have been on tours of all the Ford sites and a number of supplier and Motorsport sites, which have all proven to be very interesting as well as broadening my understanding of the supplier chain, and business in general.

Ford looks after their employees in other ways too. Some of the benefits include gym facilities, cheap movie tickets and photo development, nice cars to drive and sometimes take home, and of course Ford IBL students are some of the highest paid IBL placements in the country. All in all Ford is a great place to work and learn. For me, IBL has been a very rewarding experience that is bound to give me a competitive edge as a Business graduate. I strongly encourage all students to consider completing an IBL placement.