IT Apprentice Review

I currently work in the Systems and services management team and within our team we have a sector named ENTMON (Enterprise Monitoring and Alerting). This sector looks after monitoring Barclays’ internal servers which means we ensure that the 50,000 servers we own consisting of Linux and Windows are kept in order and are fixed if their is any problems.

Before starting this role i had no prior experience in using Unix, developing my Unix skills has been a key part of my time at Barclays. These new skills allow me to complete my day to day role looking after the banks Linux servers. I have also continued to develop my basic skills such as communication and teamwork.

The program is very enjoyable as it often proposes new challenges which keeps you on your toes, although this can sometimes be stressful as there is a large workload i believe it is good for professional development and for learning all aspects within a workplaces as well as getting your name out there in the organization.

The program is well structured from a qualifications standpoint as it is clearly outlines when you will attend university or college, how long for and when you're required to complete any other training courses etc. In regards to structure within the workplace, this depends on what team you are in, for example my day to day role does not really have a structure as it depends on what incidents are available each day etc.

Barclays are a very supportive employer, they allow us time in the office to complete our university work as well as providing SME's for us to work with if we are producing a report on something new that we don't have much experience in and may struggle with.

The training provider provides reasonable support, we are give an Employee Liaison Tutor who visits Barclays 4 times a year for 1:1's so we can voice any concerns an talk about how university is going. On the other hand the tutors can be hard to reach and don't allocate much extra time to providing support to students.

Currently the qualification i am working towards does not go hand in hand with my day to day job role, however this is my own doing as i chose a Java software development course at university knowing it would not go hand in hand with my work. However this allows me to gain experience so that at the end of the apprenticeship i can branch out into Java development.

Yes there is many activities going on on site, such as different teams hosting different events each year as they are all assigned a budges for Sports and Social, this may include doing something offsite during the day such as paintball or could even just be a meal with your team.

Yes

Barclays is a good employer to work with as they allow you the freedom to make your own choices in what you gain your qualification in, not forcing you to choose something that goes and in hand with your assigned job role. They also provide good support as well as a great site to work on with state of the art technology.

Put effort into the recruitment day and may yourself stand out, present yourself well and you will walk into the job. After starting get to know your team and the do's and don't such as flexi-time and dress code. Most of all be enthusiastic and always show a good working attitude.