Security Delivery New Associate Review

I currently work in the Security capability working on various pieces of work that span across the vast range of topics within the Security field. Since beginning my apprenticeship with Accenture, I have been involved in projects that involved: Network Security, SIEM, 3rd Party Risk Management, Security Strategy & planning, Cloud Security, Risk Assessments and many more. As part of the apprenticeship, I am given day release once a week to focus on my degree studies provided by Accenture. This allows me to better myself through every avenue of skills, knowledge and experience.

During my time at Accenture, I have learnt many new skills and also developed on existing skills. Before I joined Accenture I studied Cyber Security and Network Security which has helped me tremendously but also I have been able to take those skills and really excel them in a professional environment and applying the best work practices. I have developed a greater set of skills as a whole, thanks to the diverse work that Accenture does and being able to study a degree at the same time which provides me with a broader range of skills that can be applied to work.

I thoroughly enjoy my programme. It has allowed me to take my knowledge and infinitely extend it due to the amount of knowledge available to me through colleagues and mentorship. The work is exactly what I expected and I am happy with the work that I do, I feel that I contribute and that I feel rewarded when completing any piece of work. I have a very good and supporting team, if I ever need help with anything, they will be there to help me with anything or try their absolute hardest to produce the best outcome for myself to help me excel. The company culture is great, when I am in the office I feel more than welcome and always enjoy meeting every person I meet for the first time.

On Accenture side of things they tend to be very organised/structured as they are not new to this programme, they have been running this for years and know what it takes to bring the best out of their apprentices. On the training provider side of things, this is where my experience drops as there has been total confusion at times, completely unclear with what they expect as an assessor. Overall, I do enjoy the structure of my programme within Accenture as you stay with the other apprentices in the beginning and you gradually get introduced to more of the company as it progresses where you will land your first role and you can make what you want of your career at that point.

If I need any kind of support large or small I am confident that I would have many people who would make time out of their busy schedules to help me with whatever it is. Although I may not ask for support, it is always offered as they really want to make your transition as easy as possible and they are just genuinely very nice people that you work with. It is made clear from day one who you can go to for support with any issue but as you branch off into the rest of the company the same level of support is there throughout.

The individual tutors provided by the training provider can be extremely helpful but they can be occupied/busy at times which is not their fault as they are most likely helping others but it does mean the support you want may have to wait. In terms of accessibility of support, you can always feel as if you can reach out to them at any time and they will be more than happy to come back to support you.

Unfortunately, my qualification as it stands right now does not help me in any way with my current role as it is a much broader degree that mostly focusses on software development while I am one of the minority that my role does not include software engineering. I am expected to specialise in my final year (Cyber Security) but until then the qualification will not have any direct improvement of my ability in my role.

There are constantly events happening at work for everyone to take part in if they wish, they are advertised around the company when it comes closer to the time. There is a large range of events which can sometimes be aimed at specific groups for example as an apprentice there are events that are for apprentices only which allows us to network with apprentices who have been at the company slightly longer so it gives others the chance to network with similar people as we are all new in a big industry. There are charity days in which you can use to benefit your local community which is great. There is also a region-wide party at the end of the year to celebrate success and all the hard work that every individual has put in.

Yes

It is a great company to work for in all aspects. There are many opportunities that you can explore, in fact, they actually encourage you to take your time and find what you enjoy the most by trying as many things as you want. There are plenty of progression opportunities at every level. It has a very healthy work environment. They really invest in you as an individual whatever path you wish to take, they will provide everything to bring the best in you and transform you into a true professional.

Accenture is large on hiring the best people in their eyes, they want the brightest and most talented. They also invest in the individual so they have to believe that you have potential that they can tap into. If I had to give one piece of advice I would say look at their culture & values then create your application around how you meet the same values that they are looking for. Represent yourself as enthusiastic and that you have a lot to offer to them as a company as they are also signing up to investing in you for the years to come so they have to believe you are worth it.