Software Engineer Review

I use design documentation and my understanding of various systems and techniques to write/amend and test software in the coding language COBOL. This involves working cooperatively with my team, including designers and coders to complete my code changes successfully and within the provided and discussed timelines. I work on a single large system and I am able to amend or write for all areas of this system which uses multiple DB2 and IMS databases and tables.

During my time so far I have learnt a huge amount. From learning multiple new coding languages to being able to work with large databases. Apart from the obvious technical skills developed my team work and ability to work under pressure has improved drastically. I have had to improve my communication skills to operate effectively with coworkers inside and out of my team to deliver projects successfully.

My job is not everybody's cup of tea, however for me I absolutely love writing and manipulating code using problem solving and technical understanding. Working at my organisation is an absolute joy. The facilities provided are excellent and the site is a pleasure to be at. My team is supportive and always ensure everything is perfect for me. I am never left without support and I am always being encouraged to work hard and develop my own abilities. University is fantastic and provides a well balanced course for full time apprentices giving challenging and interesting work while not giving too much work that it would be impossible.

The programme is incredibly well structured for me and my role. This has been possible as it has been co-planned and organised by my line manager and line managers in associated teams as well as the head of apprenticeships at the university. It has meant that the workplace time and university time is well balanced. The 'in work' work has been organised well, providing plenty of needed training which allowed me to begin actual work incredibly quickly (which is fantastic considering I had never coded in the language COBOL before).

There is never a day that goes by where I am provided some form of support. From team calls to manager 1-2-1 meetings. My team is constantly supporting me in all aspects of the programme. My line manager oversees that I am progressing well in work and at university. My mentor provides all work related support, teaching me new concepts, techniques and skills. And my learning and progress manager supports me on a more personal basis ensuring that I am happy with the course in general and is a contact outside of my team that can offer support for non-work related needs such as university.

I am required to receive 20% of my time as training which is mostly covered by my training provider (the university). They provide a course that teaches me concepts that directly aid my ability to do my job. As they are a university there are multiple webinars and support sessions going on that I am free to join.

As the qualification and programme as a whole was co-developed by my organisation and the university, the content covered is critical to my role and has a massive impact on my ability at work. One third of my course directly teaches me about the coding language I write in and introduces me to complex uses of this language with systems and software that is used in my organisation.

The site I am based at provides a whole other aspect of social and sporting activities. This includes a gym, tennis court, AstroTurf, cricket strip and huge amount of field space for all activities. There are clubs for all of these as well as employee run clubs for other non-sporting, social activities. From time to time we see professional networking events for various areas of the bank which are perfect for meeting new contacts and learning new information.

Yes

I would recommend Barclays apprenticeship scheme to a friend simply because it provides everything you could possibly need and more as a first (or not) job as well as a means to get a qualification whether that be a degree in my case, or some other form of certificate. It is, in my opinion, impossible to be dissatisfied with the programme as a whole due to the sheer amount of support and help provided by line managers, support managers and basically everyone else. If anything is in the slightest not right, it will be rectified or changed immediately. If something isn't quite right for you, it can be altered. As long as you are willing to work hard and apply yourself, Barclays and the university will ensure that your time on the course is more than enough to get you on your feet.

If you are looking to apply to Barclays, be yourself, be motivated, be interested, be kind and most importantly enjoy it from the start. Be excited to apply, be excited to meet new people and to learn about new thing. There are more roles than you could imagine and one of them will be right for you.