Apprentice Project Manager Review

Current role is on a service account as a PMO, gaining exposure to projects, the organisation & yearly cycles, both internal & external, such as client reporting. Tracking, reporting, governance over the account, ensuring joiner, leavers accesses to systems are tracked & processed. Some senior meetings assisting with action tracking as well as gaining exposure to the different interdependencies required when managing a consulting project.

Yes - new skills developed include a better understanding of project management process, how to run a project & other things such as adapting my communication to suite the audience. Skills that i have further developed include communication via both online such as email writing all the way to suitable methods to manage conflict, negotiations etc. Another vital skill i have further adapted on is the ability to focus on multiple tasks balancing my time day to day.

The programme is enjoyable, whilst it is still work with some pressures on deadlines, as expected, the learning side at CGI is very important this is shown throughout the different stakeholder levels with plenty of internal courses, external course options & all round development built into the foundations of the organisation. My course is with QA & I'm nearing the end to getting my qualification, once achieved i will be able to try different roles, so this is exciting.

My personal experience is that the learning side is down to the members directly, this is great when having an understanding of where to learn from & what is needed to gain in order to further your career. There are loads of help areas where you can consult on this. However to newer members who might not be sure on where they want to take their career this can be daunting as there is no direct learning path. My programme is great as i laisse with QA as a 3rd party to gain my industry qualification, this side is very structured for me.

There are lots of support channels outside your project for specific help however most of the learning is on the job therefore it relies on the peers around you being helpful this therefore on some busier projects mean your support isn't as great as it could be but throughout my time at CGI & on some difficult projects the peers around me have been extremely helpful both towards me & my educational aspects.

There is lots of support throughout my apprenticeship with regulatory time off provided so that studies can be completed as well as lots of different members who we can contact to draw information from. The teams i have been assigned under (this depends on the account you work for) have been very supportive throughout my studying time.

The training i have received has helped me better understand the processes of a project. This has therefore enabled me to better understand technical language, be better integrated within meetings as i understand what is being talked about. Without this training i would be very reliant on members telling me what each possible acronym, process etc would be. Its very useful having this background knowledge & depth of understanding.

There are internal clubs you can join who will organise different activities, many accounts will get involved in things with the client such as volunteer work. As well as annual events such where information from global senior members will be shared as well as a chance to network with a wide range of internal members. Events can also be dependant on the industry you work within.

Yes

The organisation has developments embedded into its core foundations, this is great business to kick-start a career with, offering some interesting industries to get into. The option to rotate into different roles, learn new skills & attain qualifications is excellent for many young adults to begin their careers. There are a wide range of networking events that take place throughout the year further broadening the exposure they can attain.

Do your re-search, remember communication is key, being a polite open individual with the ability to communicate confidently & effectible in a team is crucial. Whilst skills in technical areas such as coding when applying for a role in this sector can be helpful, this wont be a golden ticket, skills can be taught. Having a positive & excited outlook about joining the industries, the role your applying for & good communication skills are what i would say are your best attributes to play on.