Team Leader Review

I am a team leader managing a team of 13 people. I am responsible for their learning and development and also for monitoring their performance. As my team provide a service to the business our stakeholders are mainly internal. Day to day I attend meetings with my peers and my team members.

So far most of what I have learned is not new to me but has helped to confirm my understanding of certain aspects of my role. I am lucky that the course I have chosen to undertake is within my current field of work so its very relevant to my day to day responsibilities.

I am really enjoying my programme so far. The course seems to have been well designed and the availability of the Open University online support has been wonderful. As this is an apprenticeship I have also been allowed to have one day a week to study at home which is invaluable. It has been a steep learning curve and I have had to adjust my working style to accommodate the extra work but I know it will be worth it in the end!

I feel very valued by Dstl just because they have given me the opportunity to undertake my degree apprenticeship. My line manager has been extremely supportive and ensures that I have the right support to enable me to deliver in both my role and my apprenticeship.

The programme so far seems to be really well structured. The OU website has an online planner that helps me keep on track with my learning and the online tutorials are actually really enjoyable. The course started well with a 6 week induction that helped to familiarise yourself with the way in which you were going to be expected to work however it is a bit more full on once you get started which was a bit of a shock at first! I most definitely need to ensure that I use the full study day to help me stay on track!

There is so much support I almost feel bad that I don't always need it! I am supported from within the business by my line manager and then I also have both a course tutor and a practice tutor who have been allocated to me by the Open University. The OU tutors give you lots of feedback so that you can improve your performance and no question is a stupid question!

I am very well supported by my employer. My manager regularly reviews my performance and checks my progress. She is also aware of when I am due to have an assignment completed and is mindful of this when requesting my time at meetings.

I very rarely have to travel for my course but if I do I am allowed to claim for any travel costs that I incur. Everything is local to me so when I have to travel to attend training, I don't have to travel far which is fantastic!

Dstl are really working hard to promote the apprenticeship scheme and there are plenty of opportunities for us to represent the business at various education fairs.

Yes

Dstl is a very considerate employer and I personally find the benefits and opportunities on offer here very attractive. I never thought that I would be able to work at home one day a week to work towards a degree and still get paid for it!

Make sure you engage with the relevant POC's and ask questions if you are unsure about any part of the process. If you are successful at interview remember that it can take some time to get your security clearance through so you may have to wait some months until you start. I promise it will be worth it in the end!