Operations Support Apprentice Review

I am an Operations Support Apprentice working within Customer Service Operations. The Operations Support area makes life easier for our Customer Service teams to deliver great service by ensuring they are ready to meet the ever-changing customer, regulatory and business needs – improving knowledge and providing expertise to drive changes in resources, communications, processes and controls in a way that puts the right customer outcome at the heart of our service. My role varies from day-to-day due to the different roles we have within Operations Support. To provide a clear explanation, Operations Support can be split into 5 teams. 3 of which I am heavily involved with. 1. Operational Readiness - As I have matured within the role of an Operations Support Apprentice, I have had more exposure to the Operational Readiness team than any other. Operational Readiness are a cross site team who assess the impact and manage the implementation of investment spend led, regulatory, BAU and small initiative change, in Customer Service (CS) teams. This requires me to lead projects on behalf of the customer and our customer service teams. Its fair to say most days I have a project meeting which can be either face to face at my office in Reading, on a conference call or at another office in Stirling, Scotland. On the back of these meetings, I usually take actions to create/update plans, contact other stakeholders and support the Project Manager on other business (i.e. Project A has a mailing next month, as does project B. The Project Manager may ask me to investigate if we can merge the two mailings and I will look into it, liaise with other stakeholders and report back to the Project Manager). I also manage the Operational Readiness inbox which project managers often email new change initiatives to. I check the paperwork and if I conclude that there is a likely CS impact or I'm unsure, I arrange a triage call with the Project Manager and Service Management to assess the projects impact on CS. This process is all updated on our project tracker software JIRA (which I led the migration of the teams management of projects from Microsoft documents to the collaborative tool. This gives the team and other managers more transparency when reviewing the different projects our team are focusing on. Also if a member of the team gives their project to another person, all key documents are saved in a central place). Therefore the new change initiative can be monitored (by myself) until it is recognised as something our team need to be fully assigned to. Then we discuss capacity and either I will keep it or hand it off to another team member. Another piece of work I complete for Operational Readiness team is reviewing reports which might highlight projects we haven't seen before. By reviewing these, I can identify projects that might have a CS impact and investigate whether they do or not. 2. MI & Planning - Lots of my work is centred around making plans and key documents which highlight key information for both project teams, the Operations Support team and senior stakeholders. On a monthly basis I create spreadsheets and reports which at a very high level summarise the current position of the team (i.e. who is allocated to what project, when are the projects going to be implemented, are they reporting at a red, amber or green status and is there any projects we haven't been assigned to which we should). I produce reports for the Operational Readiness team which is sent to the head of Operational Support. I also produce 2 reports for two separate change forums, as well as a report for the do ability of operational areas (i.e. can complaints take on any more change). These reports have helped me familiarise myself with the projects going on within our team. 3. Technical Support - I have worked with the Annuities Technical Consultants within our team as well as the HMRC Business Liaison and Controls Manager. When working with the Technical Consultants, I have managed the reviewing process of key documents on the intranet which our CS voice teams and call centres refer to when speaking to customers. I ensure the information on this is up to date, informative and relevant. I have also worked with the HMRC manager and I have liaised with HMRC through an eroom to submit requests about different pension queries. Outside of working within the Operational Support team, I have committed time towards working for two committees within the company. One of which creates fun events outside of work which is highly motivating for myself as well as the attendees. I have helped organise 3 events for this committee. I have also contributed the personal and professional development of people at Prudential. This has been completed through the means of facilitating events such as talks which have educated, inspired and empowered people to develop themselves. I have organised 5 events for this committee. Aside from all of that, I commit 20% of my time to my Level 3 Business Admin Apprenticeship work. This has involved 4 exams and coursework. As mentioned earlier, my role requires me to travel once or twice a month and I really enjoy this experience.

I have taken it upon myself to complete extra training to learn about the products Prudential sells and services. In addition, I have also completed extra courses on the systems we use. This is because my role requires me to know low level information about the technicalities of products and systems and I found that with limited knowledge I wasn't a useful resource to the project teams. However, there is a learning and development site on our intranet which has given me the scope to be able to learn about the products and systems we use. This has had a wider impact on my knowledge in calls and has led to me making more contribution. I also complete monthly training programmes provided by HR which help me to adapt to the company. For example, I have been to personal effectiveness workshops, learnt how to present effectively and also attended a communication workshop. These have helped me adapt to the new working environment I am in. I have been working towards the completion of a Level 3 Business Admin qualification. This has required me to pass 4 exams and now I've moved onto the coursework side of the work. I am enjoying this and it is really tailored to the business environment (unlike my business A level)! I have also develop skills within the fields of using new applications, IT skills, communication skills (in particular, attention to detail and being specific), prioritisation, organisation and presentation skills.

I love the programme! The balance of 20% of my time being committed to my coursework is a healthy amount. I have also got loads of work to be doing - I'm never sat at my desk bored or having nothing to do and thus I couldn't fault it. I really enjoy working within my team, they are all really kind, helpful, understanding when mistakes are made (which I think is crucial) and simply make work fun. We often go out for team meals and complete activities together as a team. The culture of the company is second to none with lots of events committees contribution to the culture.

Firstly, I must start with commenting on my line manager. She is excellent, always offering support when I need it and constantly giving me challenges and exposing me to a variety of tasks. Moreover, she will speak her mind and therefore I feel I'm taken seriously - if I make a mistake, I'm treated as an adult and reminded not to make it again - rather than being told 'its fine don't worry' all the time. This makes the experience real. I have also received recognition from the Apprenticeship Scheme Manager who is fantastic. She's very kind and always offers support to me as well as the other Apprentices. I have also received positive feedback and comments from people I have worked with, both within my team and outside of my team. This is really motivating.

When I first joined there was a week induction before I even got to my desk. This induction was pivotal to allow me to settle into the company well. We covered the company policies and key bits of information (i.e. how to use Microsoft Outlook) which I'd never come across before. This was really helpful. I have a large support mechanism with a line manager, apprenticeship scheme manager, a buddy and a mentor. This has helped me get all the support I need and made me feel comfortable within my role. I have a 20% commitment to studying which is a healthy amount. I honestly can't fault the structure of the programme.

Being honest, I feel like the training provided BPP is unorganised and not great at communicating. Perhaps this is just the picture my assessor has painted given that he represents the company. He has booked catch ups with other Apprentices but left others out (including myself) with no explanation. It was only that I had to contact him to book one. He is unorganised in calls and very casual. I think its fair to say he lacks professionalism. Even the notes he promises to send on the day of the call still haven't been sent 1 week later! Therefore I would argue that the training provided isn't the best. However, there are enough resources to complete my exams and coursework. There is a monthly webinar which covers an overview of what I need to do every month which is also useful. I feel like support from our assessor is there if we need it. One of the apprentices needed support and she said how good our assessor was - which is positive. But from my own experience, I do not think he is the best...

I have weekly meetings with my manager who is very paternalistic and always offers support. I also have monthly meetings with a representative from HR who is also very kind and always offers me support. My team members I work with are also very helpful and understanding if I need support. The apprenticeship scheme manager meets me often too. Therefore there is lots of support around me.

As I live at home with my parents they charge me very reasonable rent which includes food. Therefore I am able to save lots of money and contribute money towards my pension. I do have to travel to work which does cost about 20% of my wages but due to the cheap costs at home I can afford to travel and still socialise and save money without an issue. The wage at Prudential is very impressive for an Apprenticeship.

As I'm part of an events committee, I help coordinate the activities the company has. There is usually at least one event per month and there is always a high turn out. I also get involved in many external opportunities such as team meals and team bake offs which is really good fun and very motivation for the whole team. I really enjoy the opportunities outside of work and there are many more in comparison to my old, part time job. Prudential is known around the town as a social company and I think that is great!

Yes

1. Excellent opportunity to join a company within the financial services industry. 2. 93% retention rate - that's very promising for your future. 3. Great starting salary. 4. Fantastic support mechanism with a line manager, a buddy, a mentor and the apprenticeship scheme manager all supporting you. 5. Great exposure to many aspects of the business which prepares you for your future. 6. Brilliant culture - everyone is friendly and want you to succeed. Also outside of work there are many opportunities to come along to events and personally as well as professional develop yourself. You also an have a really enjoyable, fun time! 7. Travelling - As an apprentice travelling to different countries isn't common, but you might get an opportunity. This is really motivating.

Investigate about the company that you're applying for. There is no point applying for a company if you don't show interest in what they do. Also look into the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Most large companies publish their commitment to the wider society on their website. If you comment on this, that is always a positive action which can help you work towards an interview. Prepare for your interview and dress smartly. If you dress well, you feel better and it may help you smash the interview! Try not to panic. It's hard, and you're not human if you don't feel a bit nervous, but at the end of the day you can only do your best. If you don't get the job, perhaps it wasn't meant to be and there are so many other opportunities.