Software Engineer Review

Was a Software Engineer Apprentice. Took control and responsibility for my own development whilst completing a Level 4 diploma. Whilst at work focusing on four main IT areas; Programming, Analysis, Testing and Design. Alongside day to day project work, coursework, training courses and volunteering I was actively involved with the community investment programme. Throughout the 2 years I regularly attended large career fairs and played a key role in hosting an Apprentice Forum for 300+ delegates. Creating concept designs, user stories, test scripts, technical documentation, architectural diagrams and web applications were some of the things that I worked on. Every day was different.

Other than my level 4 diploma I now have a deep understanding of projects and their lifecycles as well as confidence to not only communicate with large amounts of people from across all areas of the business but also a confidence in my ability to complete any job to a high standard.

I enjoyed the programme because it has led to me joining the company on a permanent basis. I also have a very large group of friends and have built upon skills that I never thought I would have.

British Airways mademe feel valued by offering support across all levels of management including colleagues. They also rewarded you as appropriate and so I never felt unappreciated for any work that I did. Recognition for your work is important and I feel that I usually had this.

The programme was reasonably well structured. Alot of issues which arose were due to the training provider not being prepared. The induction was good and was an opportunity for us to build relationships that we reied upon throughout the programme.

The training provider was not always very supportive. We were contantly reminded that they were very busy. This did not give me confidence that they took time in assessing my work. The training courses however were reasonably good. Some were rushed and this was a shame when we had an important topic to learn.

I recieved alot of support across all levels as mentioned above. My mentor was very supportive. Without him I would not be where I am today. He taught me alot of what I know and gave me confidence to step outside of the box and to not be afraid when talking to my stakeholders.

My salary was very competitive for an apprenticeship. We recieved very good bonuses and a pay increase very regularly. I was very pleased with pay.

British Airways is a massive company and opportunities are endless. It is very much about who you know in an apprenticeship if you want to move to a specific department though. There are many volunteering opportunities and it is highly encouraged and commended. I spent a very large amount of time volunteering.

Yes

I feel as though I achieved everything that I set out to achieve and I woudn't be where I am today without my Apprenticeship.

Bare in mind that thousands of people apply to work for BA every day. It is not an easy company to get into but for most people it can be a job for life with new opportunities rising everyday. Don't worry about assessment days - stay confident in yourself and what you know. Remember that BA is always about the customer so remember this in your assessment.