Apprentice Software Engineer Review

Arm’s apprenticeship is an incredible opportunity. The annual rotational structure between teams builds strong technical skills in areas such as DevOps, automation, and software development. The salary is amongst the best apprenticeship salaries, making the opportunity financially viable for older career changers who may have more financial responsibility. Supportive mentors, real-world projects, and industry-leading tools create a rewarding and challenging learning experience.

I've developed new skills in Web Development, DevOps, test automation, and CI/CD, using Vue, Jenkins, Docker, and Robot Framework. My Python and Git workflow expertise have improved, especially in debugging and code reviews. Working on real projects has strengthened my problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills, making me a more well-rounded engineer.

I thoroughly enjoy my apprenticeship at Arm. The varied rotations, real-world projects, and high levels of support make learning engaging and rewarding. A challenging yet supportive environment helps me grow technically and professionally. The great apprentice salary made my career-change viable, adding to my overall satisfaction with the programme.

My apprenticeship at Arm is well-structured. The rotational system ensures broad skill development, while mentorship and training provide strong support. Real-world projects, and a structured work-study balance in partnership with the education provider make the learning experience effective. Annual reviews and goal setting could provide more sense of progress throughout the apprenticeship but overall, it's a well-structured programme and continually improving.

I have an industrial tutor and line manager at Arm. I have the full support of the apprentice programme manager and the broader early careers team. This is bolstered by having a dedicated learning coach from the university. I have never had as much support or resources at my disposal at any point in my career. I couldn't ask for anything more.

BPP have a very high quality of delivery and support is available from module tutors and a dedicated learning coach. More academic learning support (in the form of classes / online sessions) would be useful but there is a BPP library with lots of resources to help.

The degree apprenticeship is made up of modules with varying levels of technical content. I find the technical modules are more easily translated to practical skills in the workplace, but I understand the breadth of the degree apprenticeship provides me with a broader understanding of the industry and job role.

Arm apprentices have a social committee that receives a generous budget each year to plan various social activities. There are opportunities to attend knowledge sharing sessions and even present something you may have learned. Each year, an annual apprenticeship meetup even is held at the head office in Cambridge. The structure changes slightly each year, but usually involves hackathons, group lunches, soft skill building sessions. Travel and accommodation is usually expensed for this event. In the office in which I am based we have weekly 'snack and chat' mornings where we can share breakfast and chat with people from other teams based at the same office.

Yes

In my opinion, the apprenticeship schemes at Arm are amongst the best in the country. The level of opportunity and support is incredible. And the great salary makes it financially viable for career changes looking for a career in Tech.

Display your passion for technology, embrace learning, be open to collaboration and ask questions.