Test Analyst Review

I am currently being trained in two areas of software testing - automation testing and performance testing. This means testing how a platform performs at peak times (performance) and running and writing scripts which tests the platform without the need for any human interaction (automation). I also gain experience in soft skills.

Through my university course and extra training we were put on I learnt some Linux and pen testing skills. At university I have developed my java and web development (html, css and js) skills and made them stronger. I am gaining skills in performance testing and automation testing(like using selenium and cucumber)

I enjoy the group that I am in, and enjoy being able to spend a day of the week out at university as it provides a better work balance. As I begin to get stuck into more work and get more help in doing so, I am slowly beginning to enjoy the programme as a whole.

The university side of things is really well structured - however communications between them and my employer is not well organised. Apart from that I feel there is not a lot of structure as personally I have experience a lot of problems throughout my year that I feel could have been majorly avoided with some better organisation.

We don't not receive a lot of support with our university work which considering it is a major factor in progressing and being kept on I think this is a major downside. Although we do get frequent 1-2-1s I feel there could be a lot more support and instead of dismissing our concerns or taking them on board but only fixing the for future apprentices they could actually help us instead of shutting us down. I believe that's why one member has already left

Although I am able to work on uni work at my line managers discression, many are not even allowed to work on it. Especially when a lot of our work has no relation at all to our university course (many of us not being developers) it is mad to think we should be able to complete all our uni work outside of work hours. I believe we should be given more help and time to study on work time but instead it is frowned upon to do so. I feel as though they are setting us up to all fail.

None - as I am not in a developer role on a software development course I find I cannot even apply my university work to my role so have to learn a role and a university course as two separate things instead of one like it should be. I feel my own experience out with has helped more than the course - although I had no choice in my role and have expressed how I would rather be in a more appropriate role and we have all been shut down yet again over that.

There is some networking activities and citizenship work we can take part in. There seems to be a lot of opportunities for things but all mainly tech based and not something a little different which would be nicer and have me more likely to be involved and be able to enjoy.

No

I have had a bad first experience - it wasn't a smooth start and even then it's taken almost a year to get some proper work and training in my role. There is a lack of support for tech apprentices and know my peers have had un-enjoyable starts too and feel very underpaid and underappreciated.

Research your options and make sure you know exactly what your day to day role would be so you can decide if it is right for you. Maybe come in at a graduate level and not as an apprentice - as I wish I had known more what this would have been like.