Software Engineering Apprentice Review

I am currently completing a three year computing apprenticeship with STFC, throughout this apprenticeship I will be rotating around different departments every 6 months. This means that my roles and responsibilities will vary widely throughout these rotations. From doing front end web design as well as writing the code for testing scientific equipment. As part of my apprenticeship I will need to complete my University work that is assigned to by QA apprenticeships, this means I will spend one working day a week doing this. As well as attending a two day workshop two days every five weeks, along with exams and assignments every ten weeks.

I have learnt a wide range of skills since I have started my apprenticeship. I had never done any python before and now I can do whole projects with ease. I have improved my HTML, CSS and Javascript skills massively. And I now am able to understand and write with different scripting languages, something I had not looked at before I started at STFC.

I really enjoy my degree apprenticeship. Doing the apprenticeship work one day a week works well for me and gives me time to complete as much as I can whilst I am at work. I think the training that I have received is good enough for me to pass with a good grade, and all the help and support I have received in my job has been amazing.

I think that the general format of my course works really well, the majority of our learning is done at our desk and we only have too attend university once every 5 weeks. Sometimes the organisation of QA Apprenticeships can be a little bit poor, with course location changes sometimes occurring extremely close to our workshop days. Although this has greatly improved in recent months.

If I ever have any problems whilst I am at work I am surrounded by other staff members who are happy to help me. I have regular meetings with my senior line manager throughout my rotations to make sure that I am getting on okay, and I am also able to communicate any problems with my apprenticeship to the apprenticeship co-coordinators at STFC.

I have a meeting with my skills coach from QA apprenticeships every 6 weeks to make sure that I am happy with how my course is going, and so I can ask any questions that I may have. If I every have any problems with my course I will tell my skills coach and they can action this.

I have learnt so much in my training that will help me in my role, one of the modules I completed was Object Oriented programming and this is something I widely use throughout my rotations. I think I have also learnt a lot to do with professionalism int he work place that will help me as well.

We have a wide range of social activities that you can join in at work, there are sports like tennis, rounders and running. You can do these on your lunchtime or after work. Along with conferences that you are able to attend if you are in a rotation where the conference is applicable.

Yes

Comparing this apprenticeship to a previous one I receive so much help and support for my courses. If I have work that I need to do for my apprenticeship i am always given time to do it, and when I am finding any of my work hard I have people around me who are able to help me.

My biggest tip is to not worry if you do not have much experience when you are applying for the job, the biggest factor in this apprenticeship is that you are willing to learn. You are employed as an apprentice so you are not expected to understand what you are doing on your first day, you are given a chance to learn things before you are expected to work.