D&E Degree Apprentice Review

I am a software engineer working on a web-based team, and my day-to-day work involves working on new feature tickets and bugs on the site. Paired-programming is encouraged in order to gain new understanding of features and parts of the codebase never worked with before, as well as to finish the work in good time to the best of my ability. I have worked across various workstreams (involving working in different areas of the site), which are changed every few months.

Yes - I started out my apprenticeship on an app team working on an android app that used java and kotlin primarily, with no prior knowledge of either language, nor the software used for its development. I moved to my new team six months ago after feeling that I wasn't making enough progress, and am now progressing much faster, learning javascript and scss which I am also new to, but in a better environment to build my skills. I have also learned over time to gain more confidence arranging remote meetings with other members of the team elsewhere, speaking to new people, and working under pressure with a deadline.

I enjoy my work a lot, due to the very positive working environment that encourages me to speak out if I am struggling with anything or would like any changes to help further my development or happiness in the team. We are given good learning opportunities and are moved around to new areas constantly in order to gain a wider knowledge of the department and the people in it, as well as being encouraged to take up training courses to build knowledge in other areas as well. My team are incredibly friendly and offer me help when I need it, and I feel I am able to do the same for them. However, the university element of my course can get rather stressful, as deadlines are sometimes too close together rather than spread out evenly, and it can be hard to focus in class when assignments for other classes are still due.

We received several induction sessions that felt appropriate to the role, but I also feel that teams who are assigned apprentices are not given enough guidance on what apprentices should be doing and how to start training them. It's easy to reach out and ask for support, and to figure out who to ask to help with different situations. The amount of time I go to university seems appropriate for the course, and gives me time to work primarily on tickets at work and feel more like a part of the team, while still giving enough time spread out through the year to learn in class. However, as mentioned above, a lot of the university assignments in the past year have had very close-together due dates which has made it harder to study for other classes and complete the work to the best of my ability. We were given a month with almost constant due dates with nothing at all in the next month - where it feels that we could've had this split out further to give more balance and more time dedicated to each assignment.

Feedback is always taken into consideration, and it is very easy to report issues to my employer - basic problems on the team or requests for more training or learning experiences can be handled through asking my team lead, whereas it can be taken further to my line manager if needed. It's clearly established how to get in contact with the appropriate person, and all requests are taken seriously. The environment is very positive, and I get the feeling that my opinions and development matter. Communication with the HR department has been fairly difficult in the past, but as I haven't had need to contact HR in a couple of years, I feel that I can't know if this is still the case.

My tutors at university tend to vary in their teaching styles, with some offering help outside of class hours and checking the entire class understands the lecture before moving on, while others move quite quickly and can be hard to follow, or neglect to offer appropriate support. All apprentices on my course have a liaison tutor who visits our place of employment every quarter to discuss objectives, grades, the qualification and my portfolio in order to work to the best of our abilities. Advice offered is always clear, with realistic objectives that aren't set too low. While there are a few tutors who I wish offered more support, I enjoy the experience overall.

I feel that I learn more through working than I do through my classes at university, as classes tend to focus on areas that I don't work with on a day-to-day basis, or are things I have learned previously in work. However, they have helped me develop soft-skills more effectively, such as communication and confidence in presenting, as well as allowing me to gauge my own interest in different areas of the work and things I could opt to do/that I believe I may be required to do in the future. Parts of my coursework that have involved doing projects or documentation about work across both work and university have also been useful, and given me more perspective from both sides and encouraged me to think about more processes around my team that I wouldn't usually.

Opportunities often come up in order to learn more about various areas of tech in order to help further development, as well as events to discuss the apprenticeship with others who are interested in taking the course for themselves. Away days are scheduled each quarter at work, often including travel and encouraging team-building and communication with members of the team based in other parts of the UK. These usually cover future plans for the team and the aims for the next quarter, but often also include fun teambuilding activities in order to get everyone working together and having fun.

Yes

The working environment is incredibly friendly, and everyone here is willing to offer advice and help, regardless of if I've even worked with them before or not. I don't feel pressurised, while also still being encouraged to work to the best of my ability, and the products feel incredibly worthwhile to be a part of and to contribute to.

Come in with a passion for the product/s, or at least an interest in learning new things, both from a technical perspective and a product perspective. Take every possible opportunity offered in order to further learning, and speak up if something is wrong - most people will be very eager to help and resolve the issue as soon as possible.