DTS Degree Apprentice Review

My role changes every six months as part of my degree is getting placements in different areas of the business. Currently I am working in the mortgages domain to improve the technologies used. In my role I vary between doing Business Analysis as well as UX design and developing. My role means I constantly have a full calendar of meetings with different stakeholders so they days are very full on.

In my role I have developed on my programming skills that I gained from my computer science A-level. Everyone is very supportive of my learning in my team and always willing to teach me knew things or answer questions. I have also learnt to manage my time better since joining this team due to having quite a demanding job.

The role I am currently in is perfect for me and I am really enjoying it however there can be placements that aren't as fulfilling as I would like. Although this can be frustrating the emerging talent team are extremely helpful and will go out of their way to help with any concerns you may have. Also going into a placement you don't overly enjoy can help you to decide what you would like to do as your specialism when the time comes.

Both the placements and the university part of my programme are very well structured. Every six months you get placed in a placement which the emerging talent team believe will suit you well after having a meeting with you to discuss what you want to get from the next placement. The university side off things is convenient as it is a two hour lecture on a Tuesday and Thursday where you have two modules running along side each other at one time so you study one on Tuesday and one on Thursday and they you have Fridays as a study day to catch up on your studies.

The emerging talent team within Santander are extremely helpful and are always willing to find the answer to any question you may have even if they don't currently know the answer. They are also supportive when it comes to any issues with the university side of things and will do their best to resolve any problems you may have.

Our training provider, BPP, have a dedicated support person related to Santander who is always willing to answer any queries you have or point you in the right direction if you have any issues. The lecturers and the module leaders are also extremely helpful and provide feedback on your work so you know you are on the right track for your assessment.

As we are fairly new to the course, we are still learning the basics in university to bring everyone to the same level so currently the things I am learning are all just refreshers from my a-levels however I do find myself applying techniques we have learnt from the university into my day-to-day work

Santander have so many great things for you to get involved in such as raising money for our sponsored charity or getting involved in discovery days which are designed to help us get involved in local communities, for example: cleaning school gardens, repainting animal rescue centres, etc. There is also events within teams you can get involved in as well as all kinds of events that are shared on the intranet.

Yes

Because I believe it is genuinely a good place to work. Everyone here is very supportive both workwise and studywise. I re-located for this job and it was one of the best decisions I made as everyone has made me feel very welcome and supported me throughout. There is also lots of things to get involved in outside of the day to day of the business.

Research things about Santander so it shows you have a genuine interest in working for the bank. Don't panic throughout the interview stages as nobody is trying to catch you out with the questions they ask, they just want to know if the job is the right fit for you and vice versa.