Higher Apprentice Cyber Security Review

My role involves working alongside the security teams with BT, I currently work with a team that specialises in bringing in new customers to BT for cyber operations however I have spent time in more security based roles as well.

Within both Work and university we have learnt various new skills that will help with our work during and after the apprenticeship program, BT provide us with training courses internally which help develop personal, professional and technical skills, University helps develop more complex technical skills that have helped us understand the work we do.

I enjoy the majority of aspects within the program such as meeting new people and studying at university as well as gathering good corporate business skills at the same time.

When producing good work managers and senior employees give you praise for the work you've done however sometimes it can be a struggle to find a particularly big project to grow and turn into something good, when the opportunity does come along it's normally enjoyable and will get your name around your line of business should you work well on it.

The organisation started out being very poor however as time has progressed it has slowly got better, occasionally there are dips of unstructured work however currently the majority of work is well planned and structured.

The support given is often very good, while at university we have a tutor we can speak to whenever we have an issue, he can be reached through email or visiting his office and is normally very good with helping us with any queries or questions we may have, within BT internally we receive support needed to complete work to the deadlines given which helps.

When it comes to more senior employees I feel the support given is very minimal or next to nothing, however those who are lower in the employment chain will offer a good amount of support to you when you need it and are always there to help.

The salary for where the office is based isn't amazing, the office is based in a particularly expensive area meaning that renting a property nearby can be very expensive and so you either pay large sums of money to commute in or an equal if not more to rent nearby.

There are a few opportunities a month that you can get involved in however the range of opportunities available isn't very big meaning you may not always find something you want to do, this often means you will go a few months without finding anything to do.

Yes

BT pay for the degree and pay you to go and do your degree, you get the experience required to do the job after the apprenticeship and are also given a job when you finish meaning that you can then begin your growth within BT to higher levels within your line of business.

When going into interview make sure you do research about BT as a company, knowing the lines of business is a good idea or at least 5 of them as well as the current share price and any news on what has happened to cause any changes on the recent share price. You should also go into interview days with a mind set of working as a team, BT look for team members and so proving you can work effectively in a team is a good idea.