Deputy Team Leader - Invoice Processing Review

My current role is Deputy Team Leader within the Invoice Processing team. On a day-to-day basis, I complete the following tasks: process invoices, distribute invoices between team members and run several reports. I interact with many of my colleagues on a daily basis to raise queries and resolve issues. Externally, I contact suppliers to resolve issues with invoices, although this is on a more occasional basis as opposed to on a daily basis. I feel I am given responsibility to ensure tasks are completed by deadlines, and to complete tasks with a high level of accuracy.

I do believe that I have developed my existing skills and learnt new skills during my course so far. To date, I have completed and passed to Level 3 AAT exams and have since progressed onto AAT level 4 (professional level). In regards to internal training, I have attended several courses, including: presentation skills, brave me and an outward bound course in Wales. I am provided with a variety of courses, to develop both professionally and personally, and I feel that I am given good opportunities to develop both academically and as a person. I have learnt additional knowledge to help me to progress within my career, and skills that will generally help within a working environment.

I am enjoying my first placement, within the Invoice Processing team. This role has allowed me to settle into the European Finance Service Centre well and I have been given opportunities to learn additional tasks which help to keep my role interesting and engaging. The team that I work within have been welcoming and are happy to help where needs be, for example when being allocated new tasks to complete, other team members are keen to provide training and support in order to ensure that I understand the task in hand. The company culture is very positive, specifically the office that I work within seems to focus on positive ways of thinking. For example, we are encouraged to be aware of how our individual filters affect how we view situations. We are also encouraged to assume positive intentions within situations, as opposed to negative intentions. The scheme has met my expectations so far, as I have been provided with the opportunity to learn and continue to develop, rather than completing the same tasks repeatedly. For the reasons which I have discussed, I am enjoying my apprenticeship within Rolls-Royce.

I feel valued within Rolls-Royce. I receive regular feedback from my team leader, which is supportive and encouraging. There are also other initiatives within the office, such as 'star of the month' where employees vote for their colleagues and you are provided with your votes to receive feedback from. I am given plenty of opportunities to be involved with tasks within the department, and like to take on these challenges to develop my skills and take part in something new.

When I joined Rolls-Royce, I took part in an induction week which involved going to Wales and completing various team building tasks. This week helped me in terms of building rapport with my peers and getting to know people that I would be working with. Training provided is also well structured as we attend Kaplan on a weekly basis when studying AAT units, and take exams in between modules which helps towards managing my time and workload. I feel that I am provided with sufficient support from both my employer and training provider, as I have frequent reviews and meetings. In terms of my role and the tasks which I complete, I feel that I am provided with tasks that are interesting and challenging, and I feel that I am given enough training to enable me to complete these tasks. Over the course of the apprenticeship, I will be completing 4 placements which seem to be well organised in terms of arranging placements for apprentices to go to. Overall, the scheme is well organised and structured in my opinion.

I feel that Kaplan provides me with the support necessary to complete the apprenticeship/professional qualifications which I require. I have been assigned a Talent Coach from Kaplan, who assists and supports with additional coursework to be completed alongside our qualifications, holds reviews to check how I am getting on at work and is able to provide additional support if required. Although I have not had any issues as such that I have been required to discuss with my career coach/training provider, they have been helpful when I have asked queries in the past. Overall, I'm happy with the service which Kaplan provides.

I feel that I am provided with enough support from my team leader and manager, and I am able to ask for support where needed. I have been provided with support from HR previously, however I interacted with HR mostly when I was going through the process of joining Rolls-Royce. There is plenty of support available, from various people such as: my team leader, manager, apprenticeship development leader, career coach and talent coach. All of these people are happy to help and provide support where they can.

I feel that my salary is reasonable. I am in a position whereby I can afford to cover all of my outgoings without concern, including: living costs, travelling to work and social costs. I have also been advised recently that I am able to claim travel expenses incurred when travelling to my training provider, which helps to reduce expenditure.

There are many social opportunities outside of work, for example the Accounts Payable department have held 2 social events in the last 6 months or so. There are also many social events held for and between the Management Accountant Trainees, this involves several intakes on the scheme doing activities together. Personally, I am part of the social committee within the European Finance Service Centre and help to arrange events such as the Christmas Party and events to raise money for local charities.

Yes

Rolls-Royce provides a variety of opportunities to their apprentices to ensure that progression is made both professionally and personally. I am being funded to complete the professional qualifications required to become a Chartered Accountant, alongside gaining experience in several areas of Rolls-Royce. I feel that the experience of my apprenticeship will be extremely beneficial and help me to progress well in my future career.

When completing the application process, ensure that you set aside enough time to complete each stage of the process. When applying, Rolls-Royce will send you several invitations to complete the following stages of the application process, and will provide tight deadlines so it is important to keep up to date with your emails. In terms of the interview stage, my advice would be to revise the topics and situations which you plan to discuss in your interview. This helped me to feel more confident, and calmed my nerves as I felt more prepared. The same advice applies for the assessment day, it may help to prepare any questions which you want to ask current apprentices as you will be given the opportunity to speak with people already on the scheme. If there was something I wish I was told before joining the company, it would be to hear about the Outward Bound week in Wales from a current apprentice on the scheme. I was very nervous before taking part in this, however I got to know my peers so well and thoroughly enjoyed this week.