Engineer Review

I am in a security-based role which monitors The Bank's systems in order to protect data and users in our network. My work involves monitoring systems, resolving customer access issues to different systems and websites, and communicating with different teams across The Bank around security and how to best protect our information.

New skills would mostly lie in the analytical area. For complex issues, the solution is not clear and multiple tests have to be taken to try and find the root cause of a problem. If this fails, stakeholder liaising is important as we have to contact 3rd parties and work with them to determine which of the networks is not allowing the user to access content.

Completing an apprenticeship degree has been challenging but also a valuable experience. The benefits of completing a degree which ties into daily work is that you gain both practical and theoretical experience. In addition, there are a lot of knowledgeable people in the organisation willing to explain complex ideas to me if I am struggling. A downside of the degree is that we do not gain as much exposure as I would like to some typically academic or research-based subjects. Our work is very hands-on and does involve a good level of academia, but we do not touch on topics that may be explored in some Computer Science courses such as quantum computing or cryptography principles.

As years have progressed, the program structure has become more clear and what is expected of us makes more sense. In the first few years, there could be some improvement on communicating what is expected of students over the course of the degree, and perhaps more time can be spend on explaining the final synoptic project that happens in year 4. We do have this summarised to us every year, however it could be phrased or communicated more effectively for a clearer understanding.

I receive a good amount of support from my employer when required. The apprenticeship degree requires a mixture of independent and collaborative work, as with any course. Collaboration between degree apprenticeship students and colleagues is high due to the well-meaning nature of the employees in The Bank and their willingness to help students. Catch-ups with my manager are good to summarise work progress and keep up-to date with any new developments.

Communication from Exeter has been quite hit a miss at times and could do with some improvement. For example, the no-detriment policy communicated over a year ago due to exams being moved online has still not been given to DTS students as far as I'm aware. More improvement could be done in this area, especially for students who are counting on those benchmark grades. Lecturer response across the course have been excellent, with lecturers even responding in the weekends to questions and queries. Support on the final dissertation project by specialism lecturer, from my experience, has been excellent; fortnightly sessions to ask questions about the dissertation are invaluable.

The degree has provided a good range of topics for students to better understand how Technology functions in an organisation. We have worked on both technical and business aspects, ranging from cyber security to business analysis and law and ethics courses. I personally found too much emphasis is put on software development elements in the first 2 years of the course. Specialising in the latter 2 years of the course, and being able to choose what modules you want to complete, has been much more tailored to my line of work.

Extra-curricular activities have been difficult because of working from home. The Bank does host quite a few online seminars for staff to be involved with, from both the banking and technology departments. Social events are mostly conducted online/ remotely between teams which do not replace face to face interaction. I would say that getting together as a team to socialise, even online, has been useful in keeping team morale and spirit. I would give credit to The Bank as, especially when in the office, there are a lot of networking events staff can be involved with. Charity work is also quite common with bake sales and raffles being done across the organisation.

Yes

The work-life balance is quite excellent and does need to be highlighted. Flexible working and holiday packages are good, especially for people who have other duties at home such as studying, childcare or other family responsibilities. Improvements could be made on the promotion process, as progress can be slow and limited.

Tips include researching The Bank in advance for any interviews or workshops. I would recommend understanding what the new polymer notes are (and talk about some of the security features) and also some knowledge on The Bank's role as a regulator (PRA), role in setting interest rates, role as a lender and understanding what is monetary versus financial stability. For a face to face interview, advice for students entering the school leaver or graduate programs would be to have an understanding of your chosen department/ role you are entering, but most importantly show a willingness to learn and adapt to different situations. Be honest if you do not know the answer to a question but try to show how you would try to come up with a solution and your thought process behind your thinking.