Apprentice BA2 Agent Review

My role is to support Barclays by processing data. On a day to day basis you will be set daily tasks and targets to meet. Sometimes, you can be given work outside of your own team, supporting an area or given project work- this is a great way to communicate with your peers and stakeholders.

I have learnt many skills being at Barclays. As my apprenticeship is based in a processing centre I have developed day-to-day business administration tasks. I have learnt to communicate confidently and effectively with key stakeholders andt learn the key principles behind developing and delivering business proposals via PowerPoint presentation software.

I enjoy the freedom you get being an apprentice as opposed to a typical job role for example, you get time out for studying and are able to take part in tasks outside of your job role, meaning you are constantly learning something- this is what I found most enjoyable.

The apprenticeship is structured fairly good. For instance, I found the first year of my apprenticeship the most enjoyable as we were constantly learning and involved in group and individual projects. However, now that I am in second year we don't learn modules (as we don't have to complete any exams now) and I found the lack of learning and planning in the second year to be stagnant.

We receive lots of support by our employer and are given 'x' amount of hours to spend on our assessments. This time can also be used for personal development which means you are not restricted in how we can use these hours. For example I have been able to shadowing different teams, in different buildings, via support of my employer.

We received 1-2-1 and group support by our training provider. Whenever we had questions and needed to know the answers our trainer was always there to help. Our trainer set revision classes which was a great support during our exams and even still, created mock tests for us to complete and compare.

As we completed the business administration apprenticeship, one of the key qualifications we needed was a Level 2 in ICT. The ICT qualification helped majorly in our role as we learnt how to use different formula on Excel which was useful for our job role. However, I do feel as though our trainer could have given us more time in learning these skills/qualification in order for us to remember them down the line.

At Barclays, there are so many extra-curricular activities to be a part of. For example, Barclays take an active lead on raising money and awareness for charity, and always shave a new agenda going on- which everyone is welcome to be a part of. Barclays also given colleague the opportunity to be a 'Digital Eagle' and present LifeSkills and reach out sessions, meanwhile having their own sports teams- open to all employees!

Yes

I would recommend Barclays to a friend because it is such a great stepping-stone on the way to your professional career. Barclays have so many opportunities for you to take part in and have offices all over the world so you will never be restricted in you career path at Barclays because it is so diverse.

Make sure you research Barclays upon your application and present a little bit of your knowledge on your covering letter. Another tip is to be yourself, tell yourself why you want this job and how it will help you, having this assurance and conviction in yourself will also rub off on your interviewer. However, tell your interviewer what you are excited to learn at Barclays and why it interests you (this is faintly admitting that you know you are not perfect and are willing to learn) this will look good in your interview, especially if you are worried about others being more qualified or experienced than you. Believe in yourself!