Apprentice Review

Apprentice on a rotational programme where I rotate around the departments to find which one I want to specialise in. Currently in Tech Solutions where I help design and create animations and e-learning modules as well as internal admin and development of the team.

Qualifications- AAT Level 3 in management accounting, advanced book keeping and final accounts prep internal training in audit and core consulting training

I really enjoy my programme as it gives me the opportunity to experience different departments so that I can decide which ones I would like to specialise in but if I find somewhere that I like straight away I can also fast track my apprenticeship and get to where I want to be quicker, there are no limitations in me being able to do what I want which is what I really like about the programme. The company is great in ensuring I have everything I need and there are many benefits to working for KPMG such as free lunches, laptop and phone etc. After switching from university to this programme, it was one of the best decisions I have made and I am really enjoying working here. There are so many opportunities for me here.

Considering this is such a large corporation, I feel extremely valued at KPMG. I have regular meetings with my personal manager to discuss my progress as well as in my own team. Despite being an apprentice I don't feel like this has ever put people off from acquiring me on tasks or projects. I feel people really value how enthusiastic we are as a cohort in wanting to learn new things.

I feel my programme is extremely well organised. As a cohort we have regular catch up meetings and cascade calls where we will have new information given to us and it also gives us the opportunity to ask questions. From that we will also receive regular email updates for anything that we need to be aware of such as up coming exam dates or training days. The management team are always very quick to respond to all queries. We have ample time to study and revise for all our exams and the programme offers a fair deal if you ever fail an exam and the processes of resitting. We have regular meetings with the management team to discuss our progress which is really useful in understanding how well we are performing and what we can improve.

BPP provide a great amount of information and resources when it comes to our exams. We have either face to face learning or virtual classroom learning for each exam. The resources online are also very helpful with online lectures that you can listen to and exam style questions that follow that. There is also a book with exam style questions and 3/4 exam papers that we can do for practice. One of the BPP team will contact us checking to see our progress and if we need any help which is also a nice personal touch. Even though the learning can be difficult at times, BPP make it as understandable and user-friendly as possible so that we can get the most out of our learning.

We receive a lot of support from the management team for the apprenticeship programme and within our teams in each department. We are given a smart contact before we join if we ever have any questions and then we are also given a mentor when we go to new departments so that they can show us round and introduce us to the team. Any queries can be easily resolved whether its the management team or through the emailing system for different sectors i.e. if we have an expenses query there is an email which we can contact and they usually reply within that day.

Having moved to London from Preston for this apprenticeship and having to now pay all my bills for rent / travel/ social, I find that the programme offers a fair amount for our ability. I have to be careful sometimes with my spending but I have never felt like I was out of pocket or that I should be paid more as in comparison to other companies for similar programmes our salary is fairly high.

Yes there are lots of things we can get involved in such as volunteering, social events, networking events. We have our own special networking department run by the Academy in order to help us get involved in meeting new people and holding TED talks. Being in London there are also so many things to do all the time whether it be sports / socials.

Yes

It's a great opportunity to help with your career and can open so many doors for the future. There is also so much support that you wouldn't get from smaller companies.

Make sure you read through the KPMG website and really know why you want to join the business. In the interview make sure you know your strengths and weaknesses and where you feel you could improve through KPMG. Make sure you take as many opportunities as possible, regardless of whether your friends are doing them or not. It's good to make friends but it's your career not theirs so think about what you want for your future.