Mainframe Programming Apprentice Review

I am an apprentice programmer for the debit cards team. On a day to day basis I amend code, fix issues and observe programs to ensure they are running correctly. I work alongside other apprentices and more senior developers including offshore members of the team. I use COBOL and JCL programming languages every day.

Since starting my apprenticeship I have learnt many skills, I have learnt how to program in COBOL and have received external training to be able to be proficient enough to work on live projects. I have also learnt how to work efficiently and effectively as part of a team and recently I have been working on improving my presentation skills.

I enjoy the program. Each day I am presented with a new challenge or task that will make me think and work to achieve a goal rather than just coasting along. I feel this makes me more effective and has really helped me with my attitude towards work, allowing me to see it as a challenge to be overcome.

The program is well structured I work fulltime for 4 days of the week and attend university for a full day each week this allows me to learn new skills at university and then use them during the week this allows me to keep the knowledge fresh in my mind as it am using it day to day.

I receive support from my employer in various ways. One of the ways is that I have regular 1 to 1 meetings with my line manager to discuss my progression and how I feel about my workload and any other concerns I might have, another method of support that I receive is other employees supporting me in my day to day work many of them are more experienced than I am but they are all happy to teach and guide me throughout my work.

I am given 20% of my work time per week to work on university qualifications this allows me to focus on specific parts of my university work that I might need help with from some of my team during work time. This is beneficial as it allows knowledge transfer from more experienced individuals.

By training in COBOL and other technological areas for my degree it allows me to further my knowledge of both the tools I use at work and also the knowledge I need to be able to complete the tasks given to me in the most efficient way possible. Overall I feel that my degree relates strongly to my job role and this allows them to grow in tandem.

There are many different extra-curricular activities at Barclays ranging from all sorts of sports teams ( I personally am part of the Badminton team) to technology related activities such as robotics workshops or public speaking classes. Even events such as the funday or other charity events that are all run by employees and backed by Barclays.

Yes

I have felt supported and welcomed during my time at Barclays and would recommend it to friends it is an environment that makes it very easy to be productive and also allows you to learn at your own pace without feeling rushed or under too much pressure coupled with the fantastic services and benefits offered I think its a great place to work.

Be professional, show your best, don't be afraid of trying new things, be prepared to work outside your comfort zone, don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it, try to be as independent as you can and try to be positive no matter how hard your work may be.