360 Business Services Apprentice Review

I am on a 2 year rotational program meaning I spend 6 months in different areas of business services within my firm. I am currently working in business support which means I am a secretary. I am a secretary for 6 people currently which includes diary management, event planning, visa applications, trip arrangements and being available for any tasks my stakeholders need.

My public speaking has largely improved as I have run workshops in schools, presented at team meetings and I also host our new joiner training course to delegates of all grades. My excel and PowerPoint skills have also benefited from learning from other professionals as I can see how these applications are used specifically in the workplace.

I really do enjoy my program and I am not stressed to come into work. I can clearly see where I could end up in the future and I do feel that I am on a clear career path that could lead me anywhere. I feel that I am developing the key balance of academic knowledge and employability skills that make up the professional I seek to become.

My program is clearly split out into 4 rotations across different departments. I have a line manager and a buddy which changes accordingly but I then have a stable program advisory and performance leader who are also there to support. We have quarterly forums and monthly catch ups as a program as a whole and our apprentice challenge also brings us all together.

My employer are always willing to support me on the job as they want me to grow. They also encourage me in areas they feel I could thrive off. For example with hosting the new joiner inductions, this came from a manager seeing that I was confident in front of an audience and worked with me to grow this skill.

I have never actually met my training provider which I would say is a downside as I would have liked to have put a face to the name. As the program is new there has been some uncertainty with the content which has not been easy. They are however always available on email and will try to answer what queries we have.

My qualification is actually based off of my role. It is not really a question of how does the qualification support my role, but rather, how does my role support my qualification. I have not learnt much new thorough the qualification however to ensure I have enough evidence for it, I need to ensure my role can accommodate this.

There are various networks that run in the firm and other events that are planned. There are charity fundraisers that are always good to get involved with and these are open to all employees. Generally in your departments, lunches and socials are also put on for us to take part in.

Yes

KPMG is a firm that really does practices what it preaches. They put opportunities in front of you and you can take ownership of our career. Our core values embedded in all of us make for an inclusive working environment that I am proud to say I am a part of.

The main thing they look for in us, is a willingness to learn. They don't want us to come in thinking we know everything about them and how to improve the way they work. They want us to be willing to learn from industry experts and then make our contributions, and not the other way round.