Software Engineering Degree Apprentice Review

I go to university two days a week and go to work three days a week. During university, I learn 3 modules a semester, along with exams at the end of the semester. At work, we are integrated quite well. We start the day off with stand-ups, which comprises of us talking about our previous days, what work we are going to do that day and any concerns we have. For the rest of the day, we interact with other employees, whilst completing work designated to us. We have been rolled onto big projects after a few months of getting used to our schedules.

I have and continue to improve my socialising skills on a daily basis. I have learned to network with other apprentices in other programs through networking events. Recently, I took a testing course, which introduced me to a new way of thinking about testing methods and the interactions between developers and testers. I have learnt how different capabilities within a project can work together efficiently in order to complete their goals.

Currently, I am really enjoying my programme due to the company culture. The employees around us made us feel really welcomed and allowed us to integrate properly into the company. Additionally, this programme is allowing me to grow personally and academically by improving my skills and allowing me to expand my knowledge in work, as well as at university.

I believe the program is structured quite well. The induction allowed us to learn more about the company and what they do, as well as meet other apprentices in other programs within our company. There is a lot of support offered to us, particularly if we feel overwhelmed during exam season (through talking to someone and providing us with study leave days). Also, at work, we meet out mentors and technical buddies, whereby if we have any worries or concerns, we can talk to them about it. Therefore, there is support both at university and work if we ever have any problems.

I meet my mentor every week during stand-ups, where any concerns or problems are brought up. Additionally, I meet my technical buddy every 2-3 weeks, where again if I had any problems I could mention that, and they would guide me to the right people to resolve the issue. However, I do not see my performance manager as much, but if I do have an issue I can always email him.

I believe that I receive a good amount of support from my training provider, from my academic studies to my mental well-being. There are emails that are sent about this kind of support, where people can be contacted. Additionally, our lecturers give us guidance on problems we have with submissions or any questions we have about the course, for example, exams or coursework.

The skills and behaviours learnt at university do help me to a certain extent to complete daily tasks at work. For example, coding has helped me improve my logical thinking skills, which in turn has helped me code efficiently . However, the programming language I learn at university is not used at work, but has helped with practicing coding overall.

In my company there are extra-curricular activities to get involved with like football, tennis, cricket, etc. In addition to this, they have sports teams for certain sports they offer. Also, there are networking events, such as an event called Toast Masters, where they set a topic and you have to talk about it for a minute.

Yes

The company culture allows their employees to grow and enables them to improve on their skills. KPMG empowers their employees in different ways and believes every employee has their own purpose, where they make a valuable contribution to the company, such as serving the clients, in order to contribute to the bigger picture.

The best tip is to sell yourself! It does not matter whether you have had experience in the program or not, what matters is that you can highlight all the skills you have learnt and link them to any experiences you have had previously. The interview is probably the most important part, as they meet you face-to-face.