Project Maangement Apprentice Review

I am on the Project Management Apprenticeship Scheme which involves 12 month placements in both Project Controls and Project Management roles. The daily tasks can vary from placement to placement but often the tasks revolve around reporting and improving efficiency as well as team operations and developing working practices. Overall the balance between work and study is conducted well, with working restrictions to allow for a balanced work-home life.

I have learnt a variety of new skills since starting out on the apprenticeship including project management-based skills and communication skills and gained a wider understanding of myself. I've had the opportunity to attend various training courses including excel, MSP and presenting skills, alongside being able to support conferences and attend different talks as part of my continuous professional development.

I enjoy the placement side of my programme because it gives me the opportunity to develop and experiment with new techniques and working ideas without the implications of if it were in a higher-up role, in addition the support received to improve is good. The university side is not so enjoyable due to a lack of support or engagement from Blackpool college, though this is not the fault of the business. I have had some difficult placements in the past and this has affected my perception of parts of the company, however the way my programme has dealt with it has been supportive and allowed me to transition into better suited areas.

Within Early Careers I feel valued because the team are focused on the development of all the individuals within the schemes and make time to support each individual with their personal needs. However, outside of the function I am sat within, and in the wider business it can be erratic what the perception is of apprentices and I have experienced mis-treatment in placement in regards to the purpose of my role, being given admin work or being used as a scapegoat to avoid other more senior staff taking blame. Using Apprentices as 'dogs bodies' is common in certain areas and this is an issue which the function are trying to reduce through monitoring placements and making managers have higher accountability for what apprentices achieve.

The initial induction of the scheme is well-structured with regards to entering the business and being put into appropriate placements, as well as being supported to undertake the APM PMQ qualification in year 1. However, the last year and following 2 years of degree is very unclear with a lack of information of what is planned or visibility of what Blackpool & Fylde's college is intending for structure for the studying element, making it difficult to plan ahead or assess whether I want to continue as there is no information.

I receive little to no support from the training provider. Our lecturer tries to be helpful and supportive however this is limited because where we are based down south and the rest of Blackpool and the Fylde college do not wish to engage with us. We had an awful experience last year of a lecturer who ended up getting fired, however there was no support from the college in trying to resolve the issues we experienced, they ignored all of our concerns and it was up to the company to push back. Generally there is a lack of care by the college, they are disinterested in us and make minimal effort required to ensure they 'tick their boxes'. Our assignment briefs often don't align to the learning outcomes or assessment criteria, and despite constantly asking for improved referencing on the presentations they give to us, they do not, and they deem it acceptable to use Wikipedia as a learning tool in lessons despite us not being allowed to use it in our assignments. The way in which assignments are assessed is inconsistent and the feedback given is not constructive making it difficult to improve. Last year (sept 2017) they changed the referencing guide, but failed to disseminate this to any of the students within my cohort resulting in us receiving comments about incorrect referencing despite not being made aware of this change which may have impacted the grades we received. In addition the college fail to return assignments on the dates specified almost constantly resulting in us chasing and waiting for grades which should be there. Their support has gone downhill since I started the scheme and I have now given up altogether in hoping it will improve and am just trying to continue the scheme because of the company benefits, but stress and pressure-wise I have experience a lot of it unnecessarily thanks to poor practices within the college community despite all internal attempts to mitigate this.

I receive a lot of support from my employer in regards to ensuring there is a work-home balance and being able to openly question the norms. they have been quick to react to issues both internally and regarding the training provider making apprentices feel heard and supported throughout despite the lack of engagement from the learning provider. I feel comfortable going to my early careers manager about any concerns I have, knowing they will be investigated and understood and not ignored. I have had some poor placements who do not provide guidance, but overall I have been supported wherever I have gone and despite the perception of apprentices in some areas it has not prevented me enjoying my time in the company.

My salary is good for an apprentice, however due to living down south and in an expensive area, it does not cover the cost of moving out, so I have to live at home despite wanted to get my own place. I cannot afford to rent somewhere, pay bills, maintain a car and have a social life on my income because it does not meet the standards of the area I work and live in. If it were to be matched to the area this would improve my ability to be independent the way individuals are when they go to University.

the company are very focused on improving STEM prospects and I am an active STEM member who hosts events both within the company for young people to see how we work, but also going out to schools to support activities and career prospects through educating them. I was part of the BAE Systems 'Women in Engineering Day' in Portsmouth last summer which aimed to disprove that it was a man's job and events similar to this go on nationally throughout the year with apprentices and other work colleagues having the opportunity to get involved all year round.

Yes

The company itself is very supportive of Early Careers and is forward-looking to try to create an entire life-long career path within the company. There are a wide variety of career routes and opportunities to change roles to experience something different and overall there is an attitude of openness. The scheme itself helps to provide practice knowledge to academic teaching creating a balance between theory and practical applications to make more rounded project managers for the future and there is an outlook of career progression aligning to investment in qualifications and transitions.

If you are applying for an early careers scheme, don't think you will not get through on the basis of not having on-the-job experience. Most of the time they are not looking for fully-qualified individuals because that is the intention of the scheme, instead they are looking for how you can apply experiences you have had to scenarios or questions they have asked to show how you think and operate. The interviews are fairly relaxed and the assessment centres are there to enable you to show yourself off, so be engaged with it, don't be shy.