Level 6 Data Analytics Degree Apprentice Review

by Vodafone

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

8.2/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

In a normal day, I usually have daily stand ups and other agile ceremonies to attend. As I am a developer in my team, I usually work on my agile user stories to produce a minimum viable product. I am always given time to complete my apprenticeship work and so I split this up into about 1.5 hours a day.

10/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

I have learnt how to code, learnt how to contribute effectively in agile ceremonies. I have passed for SAFe Agile training. I have also learnt all about cloud providers and their services, such as GCP & AWS and Azure as well. I have also been able to make a real impact on my department.

8/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

Very much, the employer side of it has been brilliant. My team in particular have been great in supporting me so far. The apprenticeship programme at Vodafone is new and so still needs development, but that's to be expected. The training provider side of it, for QA, sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. However, they are actively making changes so hopefully this should start to improve soon.

7/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

For the employer side of things, again, I feel it is really good. The induction was great and we were introduced to all of the new technologies that Vodafone has to offer. The training is prompt from QA and has good cadence in it's delivery. However, the communication from QA is not always great and sometimes we are missed of mailing lists or not included in workshop dates for no apparent reason.

7/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

A lot. My manager is very encouraging and able to support me as much as she can. As well as this, the HR BP in our area is very supportive of the whole apprenticeship scheme as he was involved in this heavily during it's inception. I have a great apprentice mentor and she has been brilliant at providing me the necessary support.

10/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

The support here is good, if needed there is always more available from the required teams. My tutor has been great at helping me understand the work based portfolio that I need to complete and I am happy that if necessary I can reach out to anyone 24/7 for support and guidance. However, as suggested previously, some of QA's communication can let them down.

6/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

Quite a lot actually, there have been specific areas, such as data modelling on the course that have helped me to complete user stories within the team. I feel that my industry as a whole is becoming clearer to me. However, the first year is always a bit generic and so not all of it has been relevant I feel.

8/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

Lots, there is an on-site gym at the Newbury HQ, there is football and running at lunchtime around the perimeter 1 mile running track, which is set in some of Berkshire's beautiful countryside. You will have opportunities thrust at you from every angle, just be careful to not bite off more than you can chew.

10/10

9a. Would you recommend Vodafone to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

The support is great, the office environment and facilities are great. There is a good opportunity to earn a salary you can actually live off and the opportunities for development are great.

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Vodafone?

Be yourself, and think about how you could add value to the business with what you already know. Finally, be confident.