PMO Review

I worked as a Governance member for the majority of my apprenticeship, creating reports and monitoring budgets and resource usage on the project. I would regularly check my email for requests from teams to be given access to projects within the programme I monitored and ensure all my colleagues were booking to the right project codes.

I improved my communication skills both in email and over the phone. I've become more proficient in Microsoft Excel due to all my reporting tasks and can format data in my communications much better suited to a variety of audiences. I've also learned a range of project management techniques from my course and through applying my knowledge at work.

I enjoyed the programme greatly. My role allowed me to take on a wide variety of responsibilities which meant I was familiarised with a large amount of my assigned programmes scope. My colleagues where all great people to work with and learn from during the day, making the office a joy to work in.

My programme was structured clearly, I understood what modules I needed to learn along with all the areas that I would cover. Unfortunately it could have been organised much better. Classroom exercise groups continuously changed along with my skills coaches and assessors meaning there was little consistency throughout my learning until the last quarter of my apprenticeship.

Initially there was very little support however this also fell down to the actual apprenticeship start being delayed. Once I moved to a team oriented to my apprenticeship my employer began to give me all the support I asked for. Although some experience requirements were harder for my project to offer, my manager thought hard and found ways for me to gain what I needed.

I initially was left with little support for the first quarter of my apprenticeship. During the second and third quarter, there was some support however my assessor that acts as my point of contact between me, my employer and apprenticeship provider changed a few times. During the last quarter of my apprenticeship my last assigned assessor was fantastic and provided me with exceptional support and feedback.

My training qualification will massively improve my performance in both my current role and any new one that I pick up going forward. The skills, knowledge and competencies I've picked up from this apprenticeship are powerful and can be applied in any modern business I am able to carry out a wide variety of new tasks such as reporting, managing and monitoring projects and have a wealth of knowledge behind the context of me and my teams actions.

The company has a social club for each of its offices meaning there are plenty of activities happening throughout the year. There is plenty of challenges and tasks such as hackathons and fun runs that are shared regularly through the companies email and intranet. We also have the opportunity to take time off for volunteer work.

Yes

It's a great company that offers its employees a wide range of benefits to help both at work and at home. There are many projects and opportunities to get involved with and members are encouraged to read about all the roles offered. You can work your way up a variety of roles and potentially specialise in an area that you wouldn't have been aware of in the past.

The company is very large, meaning there are projects running across the globe. Be prepared to potentially move between offices (within the UK) when moving to a new project. You will need to be familiarised with company systems and procedures and go through some training when initially joining to be up to speed with them.