Project Support Officer Review

My role is based around making sure project Governance is in place and maintaining project controls. I look after the administration side of the projects and attend daily meetings, steering meetings and provide metrics around performance, finances and the 'RAG' (Red Amber Green) status of the project to the execs and stakeholders.

I didn't know anything about projects before working here, so it has developed these skills massively. I have learnt a lot about data security, coding, development practices and different ways of delivering software (Agile, Waterfall etc.). I feel like I have a much better view of what goes into delivering software and developing applications.

I have now finished my apprenticeship but I enjoyed being in a learning environment again after not going to university. I am now a full-time employee and have since been promoted into another role. I'm happy with the culture of the company as it really considers everyone to be a human being with a family and personality, not just an employee.

My apprenticeship was broken down into 1-week classroom sessions, of which I think there were around 7. These were interesting and helped us keep our heads in the game for a long period at a time. The rest of the apprenticeship was on-the-job-learning with visits from a tutor to help with our coursework, which was difficult because our tutor changed around 4 times.

My Line Manager supports me in a work and mental capacity, so I am well supported in that sense. Any problems I have, there is always someone to talk to and everything is well signposted. I have a mentor who helps me in work and outside of work to grow personally.

I was visited every 6 weeks (or there abouts) by a tutor to help me with my coursework and answer any questions I had. They changed in personnel 4 times which made it very hard to build any rapport and continuity, so we struggled on this basis. It made the coursework a last-minute scramble to complete.

I learned a lot of things that I still use in my role, and find it has consolidated my knowledge by putting it into practice. I now work in a fully Agile team, when this methodology wasn't covered too much by my course, so there are things I can't use anymore but have prepared me well for a Waterfall environment should I ever go back.

I am personally a Mental Health Champion, advocating discussions and de-stigmatisation around mental health in the workplace. There are also sport socials and we get 2 volunteer days per year, where you and your team can volunteer in the local community whilst getting paid as usual. Experian are good with things about this.

Yes

It's a very people-centered organisation, and you are supported in your personal and professional life well. There are different networks such as LGBT, Muslim, Menopause networks and are well informed around policy etc. The work culture is nice and there is always opportunity for sideways moving job roles so you can get a lot of experience.

Build your network - it's a big company so it never hurts to go out of your way to talk to people you usually wouldn't, so that when you eventually come to interact with a new team, you might know someone who can help you out. It's really good to be visible here, it's all the managers seem to talk about.