PACE Preview: Part 1

After concluding their recent Professional Apprenticeship in Consulting Excellence (PACE) program, Collin and Brad sat down with their PREP managers, Patti and Sarah, to reminisce and discuss some of their memories from the program in a Q&A styled format.

Brad and Collin from our most recent Professional Apprenticeship in Consulting Excellence (PACE) Cohort.

Sarah: What were some of your expectations coming into the PACE program?

Collin: I didn’t necessarily have any preconceived notions for the PACE program, but understood that it was an excellent training program for those looking to enter the consulting industry and make a big impact.

Brad: I guess I understood the broad expectations for PACE apprentices, but I was happily surprised to learn that on top of the professional development opportunities and personal coaching sessions, apprentices are treated with exactly the same level of respect and responsibility as more senior level staff at MPS. That was definitely something I did not expect.

Patti: What was the most valuable lesson you learned throughout the program?

Collin: As a consultant, you don’t necessarily own the problem, but you do own the solution. That’s something that didn’t register with me immediately, but something I understood with time.

Brad: This may sound exceedingly obvious, but people work in different ways. I approach solutions-management and everyday work differently than plenty of my like-minded peers and clients. It was great to learn how to become more flexible and adaptive in the workspace with a program that simultaneously gives you so many tools to succeed.

Sarah: Did you have a favorite moment or memory from the program? What was it?

Collin: I absolutely loved the teambuilding and collaboration aspect to PACE coaching. I’ve not only done teambuilding exercises like surviving on a desert island and solving puzzles blind with my fellow PACE apprentice, but have been able to grow personally and professionally in a comfortable group setting with Brad as well.

Brad: Submitting my business case was extremely rewarding. This was a project that I had been working on for weeks and months, but after I had completed it, I was now able to claim that I have completed a written business case and presentation on a business development opportunity for our company. I’m definitely proud of that achievement.

Patti: What piece of advice would you give to future consulting apprentices?

Collin: Talk to as many people that you can, because as Brad said before, everyone has their own perspective on how they approach their career. Being able to pick everyone’s brains to learn more about life here and in consulting more broadly has been a great opportunity.

Brad: To piggy back on that, always raise your hand for work you’re interested in. There will always be opportunities for those that are hungry and curious here at MPS, and when you are an apprentice, you have an excellent chance to get exposed to any type of work that you’re interested in because of the nature of the work here.

Sarah: How do you think the PACE program has contributed to your professional development?

Brad: For me, PACE was a very intentional way of looking at different aspects of work life. Sometimes if you just hop right into a job without a ton of microscopic examination, it’s easy to gloss over work areas like strategic planning and communications without having intention behind it. Being able to have such a robust focus on professional development was perfect for us to parse out what we’re good at, what we can improve on, and what we enjoy, which will hopefully serve as a great foundation for the rest of our careers.

Collin: So Brad stole my answer, but similarly, I think the PACE program gave us a safe space to explore the problems that we would face throughout our careers in a way that we could react and review these problems so that we would be prepared for them in the years to come.

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Founded in 2002, we are a management consulting firm motivated by a passion for public service, and helping our clients tackle difficult problems.

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