Oracle DBA Review

I am currently as a junior Oracle DBA within the KSOR team in Oracle Support. This involves making sure that all Oracle Database users have access to the systems (and therefore the information) that their roles require. This can range from basic access requests to new users, to troubleshooting for existing users who are unable to gain access.

I have so far learnt basic database administration skills that have allowed me to continue expanding the range of requests that I am picking up in my day-to-day job. It has also helped build on my problem solving skills when I have to handle requests which involve troubleshooting. I am continuing to grasp basic SQL.

From a day-to-day work point of view, I have really enjoyed the programme. I am very happy with the team I am in, it's been a great learning experience so far in a role that I feel I can go on and have a great career from. However, the organisation of our second year has been nothing short of shambolic. From initially being told the apprenticeship could be done in 18-24 months, to then have it changed to 30 months, then back to 24 (as a result of complaints) was ridiculous and did nothing but mess us around as apprentices. The change of provider has been nothing but a hinderance as BPP, the new provider, were clearly not in a position to deliver the 2nd year of the apprenticeship for us. [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions]

As mentioned previously, the organisation for the second year has been non-existent. It took long enough to decide how long the programme was going to be, with us being kept in the dark about it the whole time. BPP, who I already said didn't seem ready to roll out the level 8 programme to us, have been so far behind on some of the work that I doubt we will get it finished in the time we have been told.

As far as my work team and manager are concerned, I have received as much support as I could ask for from them. At times I have needed more time away from my day-to-day job to balance getting assignments done with work and they've been really helpful in giving me as much team as I need. The apprenticeship team with HR have been next to no use at all. Pretty much every question I have asked them has been palmed off to someone else or they've given a vague or completely unrelated answer. Their way of "resolving issues" has been a number of focus groups with all of the apprentices, but there have been that many of them that these have become tedious and don't achieve anything. The only reason I have rated this as a 5 is because of the support I have received from my manager.

In our Level 8 year, we have had a couple of assessors who are there to answer any questions we had and support us through the programme. At times, I've unfortunately felt like the support is non-existent. When asking a question, I've often had an answer that hasn't helped at all or sometimes barely even had an answer. An example of this is when I was unsure about a question in an assignment. I made it clear what I didn't understand to my assessor and instead of helping, I was palmed off to another apprentice who was stuck on the exact same question. How that's meant to be helpful is beyond me.

I don't feel that my qualification helps in any way towards my performance in my role. This is down to the lack of options/ flexibility with the assignments we had to write about. Pretty much all of these were completely unrelated to my day-to-day job which often made it a lot harder. I don't think I have taken anything from this into my day job.

Yes. The majority of these are shared on my work's social media platform, which is a really good facility for organising and being aware of such events. There are also great sports facilities at my work too, which allows colleagues to get a break from their work to go and relax in a different environment.

Yes

Although I would not recommend the apprenticeship scheme itself due to the multiple issues we have had to experience since joining, the company itself is great to work for. It promotes an effective and diverse working environment with lots of opportunities for employees to progress in their careers. Once you have joined the bank, the opportunities are almost endless as to where you can end up.

Always read thoroughly into the job that you are applying for to make sure it is completely suitable for you. Ensure that you put as much effort as possible into your application to get the most back and stand out as an applicant. Ask as many questions about the role as possible to get as much information.