Business Analyst Review

As a business analyst I am part of a team that defines project requirements, works with stakeholders and arranges communication between them, the development team and testing team. The team I am currently in has regular meetings to discuss the current projects, problems and upcoming work.

Communication is an extremely important skill which I have further developed. Both independent working and team-working skills. My role also requires good time-management skills.

This apprenticeship is extremely enjoyable, the staff at the company are really helpful and the different working areas keep the experience fresh. My working pattern allows a lot of freedom to enjoy my personal life while also having a large portion of time learning the job.

The programme that I am on is still in its infancy so there have been some changes and discrepancies that have had to be fixed, however the company as a whole is used to supporting & developing apprentices so this has not had an impact on my experience at all.

The company provides a plethora of options when it comes to support, from my day to day manager to skills coaches I always have a point of contact to reach out to and receive support. In addition to the organised meetings to discuss my experiences every couple of months.

From my experiences so far (just over 6 months) I have received good support from my training provider which has helped me adjust to university life.

I believe that the qualification is quite separate from the day to day role, this is because the introductory module is designed to ensure everybody from different backgrounds is at the same level. I expect this to change in future modules.

There are a lot of extra-curricular activities I can attend, both official and non-official. The company provides experiences such as "outward bound" for apprentices, a week long residential designed to develop team-working skills with other apprentices. The company also encourage individual team events which help your day to day working team build stronger relationships.

Yes

The apprenticeship scheme at BAE Systems has the best personal development, working patterns, benefits, apprentice pay and sites that I have seen from any company to which I applied.

Research the company and understand the kind of work that we do, understand the security risks and implications of working at BAE Systems. Demonstrate your team-working skills and experiences in the interview process and don't be disheartened by the lengthy process.