IS Apprentice Review

I have recently moved to a cyber security placement. This involves reviewing all of our suppliers and seeing what access they have to our systems. If we still work with the supplier and they access our IT systems, a 3PCA (3rd party connectivity agreement) needs to be sent out. This is so the business is covered should there be a security breach.

Here, I have learnt about the importance of having such agreements in place and have developed my existing skills including stakeholder engagement and using various mediums of communication methods to communicate with third parties and internal employees. I also enjoy the responsibility I currently have and how I have become a SME.

I really enjoy the program as I get to progress and develop new skills as I move around the Severn Trent Technology department. This also means I am able to build my network with colleagues and become more aware of their skill sets. This aspect has been extremelt useful with my external training.

When choosing placements, the steering group will take into consideration what the individual wishes to pursue as well as what is required within the business at that given point in time. So far, I have found it to be structured in terms of moving from placement to placement though I feel at times, it could be improved with the managers knowing more about the work load and tasks to allocate for the apprentices.

I am entitiled to a 20% of my working time as my study time. I feel my employer is supportive of this and does encourage me to do the best I can. This has been extremely useful for when I have had assessments needing to be completed by a certain deadline.

As it's online, the support given by the training provider is also online. Should we have any concerns as apprentices, we are encouraged to post this on our module forums (where other apprentices can also contribute), contact our tutor directly via email or bring up queries within our webinars. However, I do find at times the tutor response time can be delayed.

I feel many of the modules I am covering for my degree are relevant to the Technology department. Initially, they do not tie in but as the apprenticeship and training from the provider progress, then they start to tie in together and become more relevant as you experience other roles within the department.

At Severn Trent, we have 2 volunteering days that we can use. This can be used to help out at other Severn Trent sites or the community for example. We also have the opportunity as apprentices to visit schools and tell them about the great work we do and how they would benefit from a career with us.

Yes

In my opinion, there are so many opportunities and I'm sure anyone applying to work at Severn Trent will find something that is of interest to them. I also find progression routes are really good as graduates and former apprentices have gone on to senior roles! The culture is also brilliant as everybody looks out for each other and this helps create an awesome place to work.

To learn as much as you can about what we do as a business and where we strive to be! Also, though Severn Trent is a water company, there are many opportunities for individuals to get involved in including Community Champions and a wide range of apprenticeship schemes which in my opinion are more beneficial than the traditional university route.