Infrastructure Technician Apprentice Review

My role at Sky has two sides to the day-to-day tasks. Firstly, we look after the structured cabling for telecoms and the corporate network across all of Sky's sites so there is constant support for anywhere that connects to the network in case of any faults of cabling, network switch hardware or other related equipment. Secondly, there are always developments talking place so the whole team is involved in projects to ensure new sites or new layouts of areas have network access thanks to extensive planning. This means there is a lot of communication with a vast range of people and departments.

At Sky I feel I have developed in many ways. Confidence has been a notable change thanks to the constant communication with new people and senior members of the company, ultimately making me much more relaxed in my role. I also believe my organisation skills have further improved through the projects undertaken with strict deadlines and large amounts of work. I have been attending many courses related to my team's work which have given me good knowledge on new systems for when they get implemented at Sky.

I really enjoy the programme I am on from my day-to-day role point of view as I am always progressing, learning and getting involved with higher responsibility tasks. The only downside to the whole programme is the training provider who have continually not met the expected and promised level of support and training, which has been reported. However, Sky have definitely excelled and allow me to get the most enjoyment and development each day.

The training provider, Outsource, has been disappointing. The number of repeated cancellations for meetings and training days is shocking which has led to a lot of worries over meeting the government requirements. My team at Sky are very cooperative for allowing me to take the necessary time out for independent study which has helped to combat the failings of Outsource.

Everyone in my team are very supportive with the apprenticeship programme. For example, I have study days at home which give me a lot of time to do research or exam preparation without distraction. Furthermore, any problems or queries I have from a technical point of view, everyone is happy to go through these with me. I also have a mentor who helps from both an apprentice and Sky employee point of view.

I have been underwhelmed with Outsource due to the lack of support and training. There have been many cancelled meetings and workshops at the last minute, such as 30 minutes prior to them starting. This has resulted in weeks and months without response to emails and phone calls, leaving myself and my employer not knowing what I should next be focusing on. I must say that when support has been given, it has been good, it is just disappointing it is not a regular thing.

Working towards my qualification has helped me in my role through the criteria on my exams and when I evidence my development. The exam content is very relevant to tasks that I carry out on a daily basis so that links very nicely. When evidencing, this makes me revisit my work where I can see if I understood everything and where I can improve.

Social activities inside or outside of working hours are not overly common in my team, but when they do happen it is a great opportunity to meet new people or catch up with those you know better. Everyone is very relaxed whether it is through sport or another activity. In my opinion, even team meetings are a time where pressure can be taken away for a short time for everyone to communicate and help each other, and what improvements can be made from the team as a whole.

Yes

I couldn't recommend Sky enough - I have had a great start to my time here. From the people to the work to the benefits, there are so many positive things. Whether you need support for work or personal issues, there is always someone to help you out, or whether you need help to perform in your role, there is always support for that. The environment you work is also well-maintained, making Sky somewhere you look forward to coming each day.

First of all, I would definitely say be yourself - this will allow your new employer to have a much better idea of why you should be the one to join them. Also, make sure you know the company and elaborate on why you want to join Sky. Finally, be prepared!