Digital Technology Solutions Apprentice Review

Each day I meet with my team to discuss any upcoming issues or I meet with other teams to coordinate their projects. This involves discussing integration with other areas of the bank, other projects pursuing similar goals, any potential customer impact. There is lots of learning involved as the issues tackled are very complicated.

In my apprenticeships I have greatly improved my interpersonal skills as it is constantly required for me to engage with others to discuss issues. I have also greatly improved my technical skills as in the past I have been tasked with running my own project to create a technical solution to an issue faced by my team.

My programme is really enjoyable, it operates on 6 month team rotations so there is a constant stream of new work and new people to meet. My programme has allowed me to make likeminded friends, most of which I get to see on a daily basis and sometimes work alongside.

The structure of my programme is very straightforward, I can know what the remaining years of my programme will look like and any questions I might have relating to my programme can be directed towards the dedicated programme leadership team who respond to questions both quickly and honestly. There is a wealth of information available on the programme which is frequently updated and we are often emailed with any news and updates regarding our programme.

We have a dedicated team who take responsibility for supporting us. Any issues we have can be easily remedied and if there are any concerns with the university side of our programme they will happily contact the provider to raise any issues. The onboarding process for the apprenticeship was also very well supported and happened seamlessly.

Our training provider offers a good quality of support, with lecturers sharing their emails and encouraging us to come to them with any questions. My university programme leader has taken time to have conversations with me in the past to discuss various areas of the course and how I can get the most out of it. The company has a dedicated client contact with our university so any issues can also be solved relatively quickly.

The topics we cover in our qualification are often relevant to our in-office work covering areas such as programming, professional practice and maths etc. Lecturers often ask us to contribute scenarios from our roles so that the content can be appropriated to the work we do to better our understanding.

Since starting my programme I have had a busy social life with others from either my course or my teams, there are internal sports teams and company sponsored tournaments. I have made many good friends in my time with the company so far and there is a very positive attitude towards socialising within the role.

Yes

They have been a supportive employer and I count myself as very lucky to have a job with them, Apprentices with Santander overall feel very positive about the future and from day one we have been instilled with a sense of purpose within our roles which many apprenticeships may not offer. I'm happy having chosen Santander as an employer and would encourage others to apply wholeheartedly.

I would advise others to show a willingness to learn. Apprentices are often recently out of sixth form (as I was) and have little practical experience, there is no shame in admitting this as Santander is very keen to provide apprentices with these skills. A positive approach to working & learning is vital and if applicants can show this they will appear strong in interviews.