Digital degree apprentice Review

On an average day I will be working on an automation or process improvement solution. This could mean catching up with stakeholders, working on some development, mapping out a process or any number of other things. Another part of my job is learning how to use the tools at our disposal such as Pega.

Alongside learning how to use applications such as Pega as well as having learned how to use more basic programs such as PowerPoint and excel in a more professional way. I have also gained experience and confidence in my communication and presentation skills as well, especially as a result of the Pandemic causing us to do everything remotely.

I enjoy doing the work itself very much, however the learning from the provider I find far less enjoyable. So far in my experience the constant assignments will have little to no use outside of academia. Due to the encouragement of agile we are no longer having to write as many reports and even when we do we don't have to write them in the restrictive way that universities require to pass. In regards to my team and the culture of the company, I get on with them quite well and as previously mentioned as a result I enjoy them

I am given plenty of support and plenty of time to study for the programme by my team and my manager. While I do have a "mentor" within the business outside of my team I have come to view my manager as a far better and far more reliable source of support. We have fortnightly 1-2-1s as well as catchups on a more consistent basis. The QA program I have found to be far less well structured having had issues which have been a detriment to my progress due to the way the course is set up. I have given it 7 stars as a result of QA's ineptitude however without taking that into account it would have easily been a 9 or maybe even 10/10 stars

I receive a huge amount of support from my employer. While I don't receive much help from the HR team I do get plenty from my manager and the rest of my team. I also know that my support is only a message away. As a general rule my manager is more than happy to support me with both my work and my apprenticeship learning.

My skills coach has not been particularly helpful and refuses to admit when the provider is at fault. I do not enjoy working with them and find the meetings with them to be an admin filled waste of time. In general the support from them has been a mixed bag in terms of the teachers/professors. Some have been very supportive whereas others give little to no feedback which is extremely frustrating.

there are some areas in which the qualification helps be be better however in some cases the information is far out of date. For example in one assignment we were forced to use a technique that has been out of date for well over a decade especially in an agile workplace which we were allowed to use as the basis for the assignment.

Before lockdown there were. For example there was a gym that employees could use as well as social events such as Christmas parties etc. Since lockdown it has of course become very limited however as a team for while we have had other activities etc. that we can do such as non-work related team meetings as well as having calls with other apprentices to discuss our lives outside of work.

Yes

In terms of working for the most part the work is satisfying and the people who work there encourage a positive workspace who encourage and bolsters their colleagues rather than bully them or put them down. There will of course be things that are less enjoyable however that is life and for the most part I enjoy working there.

Work hard and be honest. Make sure to speak up during the group activities during the interview however don't speak over people. Also be sure to mix with the other apprentices. Turn up early and talk to the other interviewees beforehand. This is especially helpful should you be successful in the interview as they will no doubt be some of the people you will end up working alongside in the future.