Business Administration / I.T. apprentice Review

My job consists of administrating various systems that we use on site. Also I will analyse business projects and plan to see firstly if it is technically possible then I will plan to see what the business process will be and how to offer the best solution to accomodate the steps in the business process. I have a lot of interactions internally and few interactions externally.

I will gain a level two diploma at the end of my first year, then I will be going on to a level 3 qualification and then on to a foundation degree. I am also going on four training courses that will assist me with the work I do which is all payed for by the company. I have also learnt how to correctly interact with different people and also how to explain things in a way that makes sense to others,

I enjoy my apprenticeship a lot as I feel valued by my team and the work is rewarding and challenging. The culture of the company is very supportive towards young people and because there is a lot of apprentices on site there is always someone you can ask if you are struggling as they will have been in the same posistion that you are in. The apprenticeship has met my expectations.

I feel very valued at work as what I am doing is having a positive effect on other people as iI am able to take some time off of other people. I feel that when I have done a particular thing very well I have been acknowledged for it which is nice. After 6 months of my fist year I feel like I am able to be involved in projects and that I can have a well though out input in meetings.

There has been a lot of structure from the fist day and there is a clear five year plan including what activities I will be taking on each year. There is a very clear support tructure for me to use if I need it and I have been made well aware of who to go to in different situations. I have been closely monitered in what tasks I have been asked to do and if any of them are deemed to be too difficult for this stage or not relevant to my apprenticeship then it is taken on by anither member of the team.

I recieve a good amount of support as they offer various ways in which you can raise any concerns you have. The support is made relatively accessible and it is made clear within the college induction what to do and where to go to in certain situations.

I recieve a lot of support from my employer which comes in the form of reviews with my manager and my college assessor. I also recieve feedback from certain projects that I do that enables me to improve and whenever there is anything raised that needs improving I am supported by the team I am in and my manager to improve.

My salary is very good for a first year apprenticeship and it more then covers my living, travel, daily and social costs.

Yes you have the option to help out with certain charity days and community events. Also people within the company regularly hold quiz nights and retirement events that all employees are invited to. There are also events organised by the learning and development team such as going on behavioural development courses in the lake district and training courses within the induction in Hull.

Yes

As Syngenta have a very good apprentice programme in place with 44 apprentices out of 400+ employees at my particular site and they use this experience to continuously improve the programmes. The vision of the site is planned extensively as well which means that there is security within your job as you are offered a contract of employment from day one with a salary that meets all the needs you could have for an apprenticeship.

I would say the most important thing is to be honest and to not try and guess your way through the process. If you don't know something then it is not the end of the world, but lying is probably the worst thng you can do. I would recommend to look for something that will set you apart from other applicants and how you can use this to give you an advantage. The best way to go about applying is to be yourself as if you are hired when you are pretending/lying then you will not enjoy the apprenticeship as much as you should do.