Developer Review

My day-to-day role is that of a Java Developer working in the smart metering sector. I am responsible for both my own work as well as providing support to others locally and in the wider project area. I have particular focuses on Java EE as well as JCE and also take environmental management tasks occasionally.

Over the course of the year and a half I have been working with CGI,Over a year of which is on the project I am currently on, I have had great opportunities to develop skills over a wide range of areas. Technically I have developed my skills massively and am now capable of doing high-level technical tasks as well as feeling comfortable to solve complex business problems on my own. I have additionally had opportunities to develop my interpersonal skills by leading others on the development of new functionality.

The project I have been put on is challenging, but has given me the opportunity to learn at an accelerated rate when compared to if I had been given very little responsibility. This challenge has given me the satisfaction of knowing i'm contributing to the company in a meaningful way. If the programme was more rigid in the roles 'an apprentice' can do then I would not have had this opportunity and so would not nearly have felt as fulfilled day-to-day.

At the beginning of the apprenticeship there was a lack of support and input from the apprenticeship team and a general disconnect felt between the university and office communication. However after this was fed back to the team steps have been taken to improve this and the situation has notably improved with communication now happening more clearly and regularly.

I have no complaints about the support I receive from CGI, there are people I can communicate with if I have particular questions I need answers to and the responses are quick and accurate. There is also a clear drive behind the scenes on chasing any issues that have been had in the past to improve the programme for those in the future.

There are regular lectures from the university each week with additional time with the lecturers scheduled in for questions to be asked. The support can vary from module to module but for myself I have felt that I have always had enough information to know where to find the answer. As this is a degree apprenticeship I expected the ownership to be more on the apprentice to raise issues which is what I have found.

Without the initial training on java development I had at the start of the degree, the speed at which I was able to take on 'real' tasks would have been greatly reduced. This would then have had a knock on impact meaning I would not have had a chance to develop my skills nearly as rapidly as I have.

There is an active social network with work as everyone in the office regularly goes out for meals together as well as for more recreational activities (escape rooms and mini golf being two examples). CGI has a sports and social club which subsidises this and so the members get better value for money on the events they go to.

Yes

The atmosphere in CGI is great and the staff are very good to work with. There is a huge opportunity to take on roles above your official level which means the ability to progress skills is entirely up to you as an individual. The degree apprenticeship allows you to get your degree as well as gaining work experience and the fact they overlap so much makes both sides of the learning easier.

Make sure to raise concerns you have early as there are plenty of people more than happy to help out. If you are going for the degree apprenticeship then it is worth gaining a low-level understanding of development before you begin the degree as it helps to stay ahead on it and the first module can be a little intense if you are not prepared