Degree Apprentice Review

In My current role in The Retail IT Functional Services Team i am handling 3rd party contractors, receipting invoices, handling sensitive data, forecasting for PO's among many other things. I am constantly communicating with Project Managers and Heads of department as i am their go-to person for any Queries regarding the internal time-sheeting application, which is used to calculate forecasts, reconcile invoices and other important things. I am also handling many queries from external contractors and service delivery managers. which is great for building confidence in the workplace environment. I have a lot of responsibilities in my current role, from handling time sheets for my whole department, organising the onboarding of all contractors from a specific 3rd party. and also handling the invoices from 3 major 3rd parties, with totals each month totaling near £1 Million, reconciling and receipting. I am currently working on a project to transform an internal application which i have a lot of experience with in my role.

I have been given a Pluralsight login, which i am using to learn the ITIL Way of Project Management. I have been put onto communication and presentation training course, which was very helpful for my University course. I have learnt many business related and professional skills in this role. from little things like how to handle myself in meetings to more important skills like reconciling invoices, people management and communicating with 3rd parties. I have learnt so much in this job role that it is hard to put into words, i have been given as much responsibility as i have asked for, and ive only been here 4 months.

I love the Work, the office environment, the people, the culture of the company. it is not what i expected at all, its better than i ever imagined. my opinion may be biased considering my previous work as a kitchen manager, i disliked my previous job role and environment so much that SSE may be seen through rose tinted glasses!!

I feel very valued by SSE, they have given us Laptops and Mobiles, spent a lot of time and money on our development, trips to other offices, 2 weeks of team building flexible working hours which makes it very easy for me and my family (Wife and 3 kids). Great Mentoring with people who want us to succeed in the company. My team has given me as much work as i can handle, and been appreciative for everything i do for them. i have been asked to do some work for project managers because i am so helpful in my current role, and all with good response and recognition for the help. I feel very valued inside SSE, we keep being told we are the new generation of SSE employee and Future Managers.

the induction and training was run by previous Apprentices so it felt very full and well thought out, using their previous experience to fill in all the gaps that they missed and to make us feel as welcome as possible. we had talks from every big name in the company. we have plenty of time to study in our work week, and can even request additional days off to catch up if we need more time. as mentioned before our mentors are great, and mine is planning years ahead for me as he sees lots of potential ways he can push my career forward once i finish the course. the only negative would be the location of the university i have to attend, it is around an hour away from my home, and place of work.

The university of Chichester literally couldn't do more, great lecturers with a great support system. and an abundance of people to speak to if you have any issues.

i feel very supported in this role, Mentor, management team, Internal departments for specific work or personal issues. there is an easy way to speak to anyone about any issue.

I am an anomaly in the Degree apprentice scheme, i am 26 with a wife and 3 kids, my costs are much greater than the usual DA. my salary of £16,500 is very high for the degree apprentices in my intake, and a good wage for them, allowing them to live independently, travel and socialise, with money spare to save. But for me, it is kind of rough, i have taken a pay cut to take this job and it is a long term investment for me. i can live on this wage with a lot of financial planning but with no savings at all. the future wage i will receive will be worth the time and stress of this wage for me. i only wish it would take into account my personal circumstances and offer me a higher pay grade.

there are many opportunities, from young professionals events, gym memberships, on site gym, staff nights out, etc, with societies at university also. i personally only use the gym and other benefits offered by SSE

Yes

it is a great place to work, that cares about your well being and values your own personal development. i couldn't recommend it any more.

Read!, being very read and knowledgeable will help you, having a basic understanding of all business techniques and the way software works, and being confident to put forward your well thought out ideas will help you, lead conversations, be part of the team, and you will stand out. And put time and effort into the presentation you are asked to prepare, that's a key identifier of your commitment to the process.