Business Finance Technician Review

As a finance technician apprentice my tasks involve weekly and monthly reporting, as well as data analysis. I also go to regular meetings and work on process improvements. Throughout the three years of my apprenticeship I rotate between different three-monthly placements, therefore my roles can change depending on which department I am in.

I have gained an NVQ 3 level 3 in Business Administration, and am currently studying for a degree in Business, Management and Communications. Throughout the variety of placements I have learnt a lot of new skills, particularly Excel and computer skills as this is important in the finance role. I have also become better at giving presentations and am more confident talking to a variety of different people around the business.

I enjoy the apprenticeship programme as the team I work with are all very supportive and are willing to help me learn new knowledge and skills. I have always wanted to go into a financial role therefore I find the analytical and reporting work interesting. I also enjoy going into different placements as it adds variety to my work.

I feel valued by BMW as I am involved with lots of important and useful projects which shows that they are confident in my ability to complete the work. The managers appreciate and recognise the work I do.

The induction process was very well organised and I was knew where I needed to be. A placement plan was created to provide structure to the apprenticeship however this has changed a few times due to various reasons. Regular meetings are in place to discuss any issues that we have and to discuss our progress, which is usually well organised.

My University day is one day a week where we meet face-to-face to learn new content as well as discussing any questions we have. During the rest of the week, the tutors are contactable by email and usually reply quickly. The tutors are very helpful and try to support us as much as they can with our assignments. There are also one-to-one meetings held to further discuss any problems we have and if any more support is required.

My employer is supportive, because as previously mentioned, the team I work for are very helpful and spend time helping me improve my knowledge and skills. The business apprentices have bi-weekly meetings with the apprentice manager to feedback any problems or extra support required. They are also contactable by email, face-to-face or by phone and generally reply quickly.

My salary meets my cost sufficiently, as I can comfortably afford to run my car, hobby, phone bills etc as well as having money to go on holidays and enjoy my weekends. However I do live still live at home with my parents, so it would be more difficult to fund these things if I had moved out, so for those apprentices that have moved out will struggle more on this wage.

There are a few opportunities outside of work including a trip to Skern Lodge at the beginning of the apprenticeship to get to know all the other apprentices from the different plants. There is also the opportunity to attend recruitment events and fairs at local schools. There are a lot of charity events that apprentices can get involved with including bike rides, 3 peak challenge, and mountain challenge.

Yes

I would recommend BMW to a friend because it's a brilliant opportunity to earn good qualifications as well as gaining work experience. It is valuable to be able to apply the theoretical knowledge that you learn at school and university to the workplace. As an apprentice you feel well supportive and valued by the employer, and you feel as though they genuinely want you to achieve.

In the application process it is important to express your skills and qualities that are suited to the job role you are applying for. This could be shown through projects that you've previously completed which will also show your interest in the subject area. I would also advise that you research the company beforehand to learn as much as you can about BMW and the industry before coming to the interview.