Technology Apprentice Review

Supporting the Mobile Deployment Platform known as BES, implementing and testing apps and solutions for the bank surrounding mobile. I work with the applications team in order to deliver products safely and at pace. I am beginning to learn about servers and server builds. I'm also responsible for the applications that are run in branches.

Project management skills, Microsoft excell skills, time management and public speaking. I have also developed my interpersonal skills - something i was worried about before joining. There has been events such as the graduate challenge that grouped us up with apprentices and graduates randomly to produce a business plan. This was great as it forced one to work with various personalities and skillets to a deadline.

Learning in the second year is much more interesting and structured than the first year. Particularly the networking courses are beneficial, our lecturer [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] is very knowledgeable with first hand experience in the field. However my first year of teachings were absolutely shocking, so i'm happy with the direction the course has taken.

So far the structure of the learning and course work has been a shambles, partly due to RBS early careers and partly due to BPP. It is however getting better. Courses are being released on time now, classrooms are booked in advance without a couple days notice and our managers are also being notified.

I receive ample support from my manager and RBS as a whole. I get time to study and train when necessary. I am allowed work from home access as well as being allowed to work on a compressed timetable which allows me to work longer hours 4 days a week in order for me to keep up with my university commitments.

Other than classroom support the communication to BPP is terrible. There has been multiple broken promises in terms of marking work, already completed work being lost and credit not being applied to the relevant students. In particular there has been misinformation between members of staff, one saying contradictory information to the other.

Not very much, it provides a foundation of learning in IT and telecoms but much of the information was taught at high-school at a standard grade/higher level and some i've learn from university. I feel however this course could be ideal for a school leaver, someone who needs these basic CORE skills.

There is access to a graduate student led coding academy every Thursday after hours, there was a recent gaming tournament that was hosted by other employees. I am a part of the cycling to work group who host socials and own a strava group that is used for learning and improving cycling ability.

Yes

Career opportunities are there if you want them, working is flexible as WFH is allowed along with compressed hours. Compressed is useful when other commitments such as child care, doctors appointments or university commitments require additional time that a 9 - 5 will not offer such an individual. RBS is great in terms of personal devleopment.

If applying for a tech apprenticeship, promotion is impossible until after the programme is complete. I've been blocked at multiple avenues by both RBS and early careers. If i had known this i wouldn't have taken the course. It also seems that performance was capped at a 3 (average) for all apprentices which is demoralising.