Project Management Apprentice Review

The role involved owning and being responsible for the delivery of small to medium sized packages of work. This would be your own project and would be suitable for the level of knowledge and expertise you possessed. Or you would contribute to larger projects or programmes and would own an element of a Work Breakdown Structure. Your day to day responsibility would be for maintaining the project and working towards the completion of project goals and objectives.

The programme provided great opportunities to develop key skills, combined with off the job learning in the form of a foundation degree (now change to a full degree course in project management) in addition to further relevant professional qualifications. However there were a number of placements that were suited more to business need for resource rather than providing a learning opportunity. The result was an uneven development curve across the length of the programme and this could be frustrating.

I enjoyed the programme on the basis that I provided me with great opportunities to develop. However there were elements in the framework and overall management that could be frustrating. There were times when directives and decisions were not rooted in the reality of our roles out in the business and the apprentice leadership lacked insight into what we were doing and delivering. The effect of this was to be treated more like students than employees.

The programme is structured by 6 (now 8, due to the full degree 4 year programme) placements in various areas of the business designed to give you breadth of experience in managing projects in different contexts and environments. These placements last for 6 months. From a structure perspective it was clear how the programme would progress and easy to track and understand. From an organisation perspective the programme suffered. There were instances of people doing similar placements or even repeating them. Moreover, the allocation of placements suffered from poor consideration of individual needs and a lack of travel budget restricted apprentices to derby based roles, where as grads could have roles in defence and Germany. Furthermore, the training programme designed to accompany the development and profession was woeful. Courses that should have been completed at the start and certainly within the first year were completed in years three or not at all in some cases due to poor organisation.

Placement areas were generally well adapted to supporting early careers and there was a strong desire within management to enable and support apprentices. For example if I wanted to complete work in a certain area managers were constructive in attempting to provide that experience. However, the support provided to apprencies coming off scheme has significantly reduced my perception of the company with regards to its commitment to apprentices. I have been aware of issues in previous years regarding poor organisation and lack of support. This was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic where despite the 3 years of training, development and financial investment apprentices were de prioritised to the extent that it was impossible to secure a role. Furthermore, barriers, were erected artificially to further hinder the employment chances and opportunities of apprentices in securing continued employment.

The training provider were good at supporting apprentices. There was a strong acknowledgement early on that we were working whilst studying for our foundation degree. This was evidenced in the structure of the programme with assignments distributed to enable completion. There was occasion to challenge the teaching pattern as this resulted in my view unnecessarily close assignments. However their support and continued adapted teaching during the pandemic including adjustments to exams. Please note this training provider has since changed.

The learning completed through the training provider supported me throughout the Apprenticeship. This was particularly relevant during the initial months of my course as key professional APM qualifications were delivered. This provided a detailed overview of project management tools, techniques and methodologies. This enabled a greater understanding of the requirements and responsibilities of my role. The training also worked to reinforce my experiences gained whilst doing my role, providing theoretical context to the activities that I was engaged with.

There are a number of extra curricular avenues open to apprentices at Rolls Royce. For starters it has its own Leisure centre including a Gym, tennis courts, football, cricket and Rugby pitches. This provides a focal point for the Rolls Royce sports teams ranging from social to semi professional to gather. Moreover there are a number of clubs set up by rolls Royce employees. In addition networking events are hosted and volunteering work is encouraged.

No

Whilst it is an excellent company with fantastic staff I believe it is the wrong company to join at present for an apprentice. Business context dictates that opportunities both on the scheme such as travelling to different sites will be limited and off scheme opportunities are not guaranteed. Moreover the pay doesn’t reflect the level of contribution leaving you feeling undervalued especially in your first and second years. This will also be an issue for any apprentice relocating to derby or Bristol as rent payments and living costs will consume a large portion of your salary.

Rolls Royce value individuals and I think that is important to get across into your CV. Research the company the role you are applying for and tailor your cv to the skills and requirements of the role you are applying to. Make sure you know they do not make cars as that often trips candidates up and alludes to a lack of knowledge of the company. A willingness to learn and a commitment to self development are also essential.