IT Apprentice Service Delivery Review

by GSK

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

7.6/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

My Job on a day to day basis involves me using a laptop to assist people fix issues with our workplace ELN (electronic Lab notebook) This could be something as simple as resetting a password, or it may be something way more complex like a full server upgrade for oracle 12

8/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

I have learned lots of new skills because as part of my apprenticeship i do an open uni course and a level 4 college course, so i am able to learn lots of new IT skills, such as hardware skill, coding and configuration skills. As well as topping up my english and maths skills

7/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

Some aspects are good, others are not so good. The team i work in is amazing and the support is beyond anything i would imagine, but communication between Uni, College and the Apprentice leaders is not the best and then it ends up leaving gaps. Lack of communication has lead to my apprenticeship being extended by 6 months....

7/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

When the communication is there, it is great. The program has set goals and deadlines for education. We are also allowed 20% a week for study which is really handy and gives me a bit more of a work life balance. Still do a lot of work outside of the office, but that is to be expected with the workflow.

7/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

The support here is amazing, if you have any issues they will get sorted out straight away, it might be from your manager or apprentice leader. But that kind of stuff is taken very seriously, so if you are having any issues at all it will be fixed asap. I had some issues a few months ago and once i brought it up, it was fixed immediately

10/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

There are support people you can go to, but it isnt made very clear, from what i have seen it is more of an individual learning. especially with the UNI, you just sort of get left to it. No one really gets involved apart form your uni tutor which is a 50/50 on if they are a useful resource or not

6/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

I am in an IT role, doing an IT foundation degree and level 4 IT btec. so it helps a lot! There are a lot of things you learn which dont help at all. but there are some really useful things which apply in my day to day role, with coding and hardware knowledge.

8/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

There are a lot of events here at GSK if that is the kind of thing you are into. For me a lot of the events dont interest me. However there are socials and work events which help with networking and getting to meet new people and groups within GSK. they are always worht going to

8/10

9a. Would you recommend GSK to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

You get a lot for what it is! I was 18 when i joined straight in on a good wage, free UNI and college. I also get 3 years work experience with a really good company and brand. Not only that, but they train you as if they want to keep you. A lot of people end up staying here and i can see why!

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to GSK?

Just be yourself, GSK is very strict on behaviours, they look for people with ambition and good work effort. Even if you think your not the smartest person, if you show effort and interest in your work you will do fine. Knowledge is something they teach you here. all you need is the can do attitude