Apprentice Team Assistant Review

I assist two teams in administration tasks, as well as supporting the Associate Director of one of the teams. This entails diary coordination, meeting arrangements, involvement with new starters, booking travel & accommodation and minute taking in client meetings. I've also had some involvement with different projects and I help to organise information about the team for these. Working with two advisory teams means on occasion cross referencing excel spreadsheets with contracts to edit and make sure all information is correct.

I have developed team working skills and continue to do so being heavily involved with both teams. My time management has improved as well as my ability to multitask. I've also learned how to use Excel, Powerpoint and OvaWord deeper through training courses. I've become more confident and am able to put forward creative ideas in the teams - I feel supported and welcomed to do this.

The programme Arup has provided is very flexible and open, it's allowed me to explore different roles and teams and confidently decide my career route. I enjoy every day at my job as it's always different and new. The people I work with are friendly, inclusive and passionate about their work which makes them a joy to work with. The perks and benefits of working at Arup are more than satisfactory, it's good to know that apprentices are also included in free training and the standard benefits. The only problem has been the training provider, they could have been more efficient and my trainer was swapped out several times. Luckily the problem has been resolved and I now have a fantastic trainer to help me complete my NVQ Level 3.

The organisation of the programme was loose at first and very flexible. I was then given the opportunity to work half in another office and half in Leeds. One positive aspect of the flexibility was being able to choose my own career route within Business Services, I felt I was supported in exploring all the different roles but a little more structure would have helped me integrate quicker into the office and teams.

I received fantastic support from my mentor, she was always happy to help guide my decisions and never failed to deliver on any queries or help I needed. Through her, Arup have given me countless training opportunities and I've been able to experience work that is unlikely to be found in other companies. My appraisals always feel productive and I'm encouraged even further with my aspirations, no matter how big they are!

The support I receive from my trainer is now satisfactory, which is very different than when I joined in 2018. I had meetings with my trainer every 6 weeks and they responded to any queries I had through emails or a phone call. Meetings felt productive and helped me plan next steps.

I feel at first my qualification helped me to understand different job roles and responsibilites in this profession. It was relevant for the first 6 months but soon after than didn't contribute or really relate to my job role. The role I'm in is very flexible whereas the qualification was not.

Yes, there is a sports and social committee that organise frequent fun events and activities. We also have the PA awards once a year where all Business Services team attend an award ceremony to celebrate colleagues and others in the same profession. Then of course we have the office Christmas party in a big venue, and smaller team Christmas parties that I get to organise.

Yes

The benefits of working for Arup are truly fantastic. To be considered an adult when first joining and treated as equal is rare to find in companies. The staff are friendly and easy to work with. The pay and bonuses are very good and the flexibility of the company makes it modern and enjoyable.

Make your application enthusiastic and personal, research the projects and find one that is different and stands out to you! Make sure you agree with the ethics and can see yourself working here, try to line it up with your own passions! Be confident and show interest when speaking with Arup staff.