IS Apprentice Review

I'm an IS apprentice. I go on annual placement rotations. For this rotation that generally means learning how to develop and configure a system which we own by looking at articles online and watching Youtube videos about it. Previously I have developed mobile apps (placement 1) and supported our server and desktop infrastructure (placement 2).

In my first year I had foundation training courses for ITIL and PRINCE2. I am also currently studying for a degree in Digital Technology Solutions. I have learned other professional skills such as time management and influencing stakeholders through internal training courses.

My enjoyment very much depends on my current placement. Previously I have enjoyed my placements - the teams have been friendly and helpful and most of my colleagues have made an effort to get to know me. On my current placement, however, I have no colleagues from which to learn the skills I am expected to gain and little support and interaction. I can usually go the whole day without having one conversation with anyone on my team.

As an IS apprentice I do not feel particularly valued. My line managers have never known what to expect from an apprentice and are therefore rarely either encourage or challenge me on my performance. An effort is usually made to involve us in interesting projects, but again this is very much dependent upon the placement. I should also add that in all of this apprentices don't tend to be looked down on in IT here and people will hear out (not necessarily address) concerns we may have.

My programme did have an induction with all of the other apprentices across the business that started at the same time as us (about 80). As a result though, the majority of the 6 week induction period was spent learning about details for job roles unrelated to mine but more relevant for a field worker for instance. We are given 1 day a week as study day. Up until this point, placements have been organised close to the time we will be moving. Whether there is sufficient demand for an extra role is not taken into account and there is usually nothing planned for us to do when we start. We have raised concerns about this and I believe this is going to be looked into though. Useful and respected training was given to us in the first year but they have stopped that for the new intake, and we are no longer given any external training for our job roles or general IT skills.

We are given live webinars online twice a week in the evening (Monday and Wednesday 6-8pm for me) and there is no option to adjust the time or date but they can be done from home. The tutors are happy to help with any questions but they can take a long time to get back to you and can be harder to concentrate and understand with it being online on a screen and no communication being done in person. While some of the modules are interesting, most of the time I find it hard to keep my interest and motivation for a two hour lecture after a full day at work.

Severn Trent is very keen to support employees particularly from a wellbeing perspective. Everyone is always happy to help although it can sometimes take a long time to get a meeting to discuss an issue. With respect to the job roles, there is no formal support. Most of the team will be happy to help with any specific questions but it will be largely down to you to learn how to do the job role.

For a degree apprenticeship, the salary is very good. However it should be noted that the job is based at Severn Trent Centre in the centre of Coventry and on site parking costs £800 a year or £400 if you park on the other side.

There are a lot of opportunities outside of work. Severn Trent are always keen for employees to volunteer for different activities the company is involved in. The new talent team in HR particularly ask for apprentices to help at different promotional events for Severn Trent apprenticeships.

Yes

It is hard for me to say whether or not I would recommend an apprenticeship at Severn Trent, but I would say if you are happy to spend 4.5 years working here in different (and not necessarily interesting) job roles for 12 months at a time but never really progressing during your 4.5 years, and doing a degree alongside largely in your own time then it is a good opportunity. Since that is true of some other degree apprenticeships, then I would say this is a fairly good option among those. If you would prefer to move around a lot and get a wide range of experiences (even though inevitably some areas will not be very interesting) then I would say it's ideal for you.

In the application and interview process, Severn Trent are mostly looking for a good character that can work well in a team and pick up new things well. I would focus on portraying that and, although it is easier said than done, being confident on your assessment day. Once you are in I would say you can get however much out of the scheme as you decide to, so be proactive in learning new things and speaking to people who can help you.