Technology Apprentice Review

My role is within Resilience & Continuity, Technology. I work as part of a feature team in agile terms, and the project I'm currently working on is to deliver a solution to Service owners within the bank, a view of how their People, Property, Technology & Supply chain comply with Resilience as a policy. I also manage the Resource & Demand within Resilience, which involves engaging with stakeholders who have requests on Resilience & Continuity and managing this demand with our current in progress work.

Within my role, I have developed many skills. Having entered the role from school, I have learnt how to engage and communicate with a diverse range of stakeholders. I have learnt analytical techniques and also gained knowledge and understanding of the industry to a level that I can share with and educate others.

I have now completed the apprenticeship programme, I enjoyed the role however I didnt enjoy the course and content of the programme. I did'nt find it challenging enough, and potentially could have achieved a higher qualification. I also didnt find the course content relevant to my role. However through the programme I have had many opportunities to work the the Early Careers team to run insight days with school students interested in the programme which I have really enjoyed.

I didnt find the BPP side well organised. I had around 3/4 assesors over my time and also didnt find the content challenging or relevant to the role I am in. The programme is a good foot in the door to the bank and the role I am in, however most of my learning has been on the job passed from colleagues. I didnt find the communication great with the learning provider. I do think that the early careers team did a good job of taking on board feedback however i dont feel that within my time there was many improvements made to the communication between me as an apprentice and BPP. I also found the programme slightly unclear when it came to rolling off as policies were changed during my time which werent communicated.

My team has been really supportive of me gaining an understanding of the role I am in, I have also had alot of support from the Apprentice managers when I've faced challenges however I dont feel these were picked up by the learning provider. I'd say I received more support from my employer than learning provider.

I didn't find the course content challenging enough to need much support, however I did find the marking inconsistent between assessors and the update/ communication from BPP wasn't great when there was a change in assessor- they seemed to have a high turnover rate which is quite distributive for an apprentice as it meant long wait times for any email responses.

I don't find that my qualification fits to my role at all, I didn't find that I learnt anything more than the qualifications I gained at school. I learnt everything from the role itself and from colleagues passing on industry knowledge and experience. Which I feel at least industry knowledge on Resilience should have been covered in my course. My course was Business Admin and within my team there are no business admin roles therefore it didnt fit.

Yes within my team there are many social events and team activities that happen alot. I also have many opportunities to be part of networking events however there is alot more focus and things organised for graduates whereas there are no specific apprenticeship networking events, for that it is really up to the individual.

Yes

I would recommend my experience to a friend, as within the role itself I have learnt a lot of skills that I can transfer to different roles within RBS and across the industry. Especially within my team I have been exposed to and surrounded by many influential colleagues and the progression I have seen in my confidence since I began the role is really motivating.

For anyone in school or considering applying to an apprentice role in RBS I would advice them to contact RBS and make use of any insight days or work experience available. When completing the application, I would recommend to adapt your application to the role and wording which is being advertised on the job which shows the recruitment team your attention to detail and that you are serious.