Software Developer Apprentice Review

As a software developer, I work with my team to develop features for M&G affiliated websites. We have a Jira board which has a list of tasks to be completed in the sprint, which is a cycle of 2 weeks. Tasks are assigned to me and, with the assistance of the people on my team, I develop code which is then put into the pipeline to be tested and eventually into the master code, at which point the code is in production. I attend meetings or otherwise communicate with stakeholders to clarify what they expect from the tasks they have set on the Jira board. As an apprentice, I am also expected to keep up with the relevant apprenticeship scheme work from my training provider.

While working at M&G I have become more confident speaking to people who are from outwith my team, as the staff are very friendly. I have become more skilled at writing and debugging CSS code, which has been the main focus of the tickets I resolve at present. I also work in Java with Adobe Experience Manager. M&G provide training on business skills such as giving presentations, chairing meetings and time management skills, and they also provide access to courses on Udemy and LinkedIn Learning which we can do while at work, time permitting.

I enjoy working with my team, as they are all very friendly and helpful. They understand that it's difficult for someone with no real world software development experience to pick everything up quickly, and this puts me at ease. I enjoy coding and solving puzzles a lot. The company puts an emphasis on personal and professional development and invests in it through providing training and courses. Overall, I enjoy the programme a lot.

The programme is very well structured. We were given induction days to make sure we could log onto our corporate accounts, and we meet regularly with our Apprenticeship Scheme Manager to learn new business skills. We can also speak to her if we have any problems with our apprenticeship scheme in any way. There is an initiative in IT to allow 20% of time for learning, which would include doing courses on Udemy and also reading documentation and learning about the tools and technologies we use to develop and maintain the website. With QA Apprenticeships, we also have an Assessor who goes through all of our apprenticeship work so that we understand what we have to do. Before my Line Manager left the company, we also had meetings every week to discuss how the week had gone for me.

I receive a lot of support. On my team I have a designated buddy who I speak to if I need any help or don't understand anything in particular. I also have a Line Manager and an Apprenticeship Scheme Manager who I can ask for help. Everyone on my team is very helpful and supportive of me in my role and they do their best to help me succeed.

My training provider provides a lot of support. We have an Assessor who goes through the coursework we have to complete so that we understand what is expected of us. She is very responsive if I need to get in contact with her. We also had virtual courses on the parts of the course we would be assessed on.

My training provider has so far given me training on: Java Fundamentals; HTML, CSS and JavaScript; and Databases and SQL. As part of developing components with AEM, Java is the programming language used, so this helps me to read and understand code in the codebase. We use SCSS for the front-end styling of our website, which is similar to regular CSS. At present I haven't had to do any work with databases or SQL, but I know that my colleagues have to work with these and so this could become more relevant in the future for me.

M&G offers a lot of extra-curricular activities. An organisation called Investment20/20 provides learning and networking opportunities in financial services. Our apprenticeship cohort is looking to do some volunteering work later this year. There are many Teams groups that you can join, as well as classes for things such as yoga, meditation and Zumba.

Yes

They have provided a very holistic apprenticeship experience, which has helped me both in the technical aspects and also the soft-skills aspects. I feel very well supported in my role and my colleagues are all very friendly. They are very understanding of any problems I have or any mistakes I might make, which makes me feel less anxious. The remuneration is also very good, especially when considering that you're being paid to learn.

1) Research the company - what it does, the company values 2) Research what a competency based interview is 3) Research what kind of reasoning test you will have to take, if you have to take one 4) The interviewer is just another person, and they want to see that you're enthusiastic about the role you're applying for 5) Make sure the details on your CV are absolutely correct - there is a background check 6) Remember that as an apprentice your job is to learn and not to know everything in the beginning