Apprentice Software Engineer Review

I am a higher level apprentice software engineer at Atos. On a day-to-day basis we go through carefully structured programmes designed to teach us the skills needed to become a software engineer.

I have learnt and am continuing to learn many skills I did not possess before. The first thing which was done was learning to code in Java, and the programme was structured very well and enabled me to pick this up quickly.

I enjoy working for Atos and the people that work here are, in the main, very welcoming. For the most part, there has always been something to do, although there has been occasions where the work provided was not sufficient or useful.

On one hand I feel that Atos values the apprentices it takes on, as they have invested an awful lot of time and money into the scheme. On the other hand, we have to do a lot of chasing up if we are stuck rather than being asked how we are doing, and I feel that it should be more of a two-way street.

On the face of it the programme appears well structured. A lot of time and effort has clearly gone into creating the structure we will be following to ensure that it teaches us the skills we will require. The apprnticeship has been meticulously planned out in great detail, however where the organisation of the programme falls down is on a lack of communication with buddy's / mentors and higher management. As a result, this has resulted on more than one occasion of online rooms / programmes not being set up and ready when they were required putting us a day behind on our programme while we waited for them to be set up.

Provided by QA, we have visits from our assessor every six weeks and she has been helpful in providing us with the support and understanding we need to advance through the programme successfully.

Our line manager checks up on us roughly once a week to check how we are doing and if we have any issues. I am secure in the knowledge that if I ever have any queries or issues I will be able to ask and help will be provided.

My salary is sufficient enough to cover rent and bills however I am not left with a lot of disposable income after these have been paid. Salary rises on the apprenticeship are helpful, however I am confident that finshing the apprenticeship will bring with it a salary sufficient enough to cover my expenditures whilst still leaving me with money to save.

Whilst not made immediately clear, there are activities available to those who wish to join them. Although I myself have not taken part, the flyers / posters and emails I see and receive tell me that there are opportunities to socialise outside of work.

Yes

This is a good company to work for as there appears to be a lot of opportunity for job progression and there is always someone on hand to help.

Complete everything you do to the best of your ability - give 110%. Be confident whilst still being yourself.