Project Professional Apprentice Review

My role changed between two placements, but the main consensus is project management and project controls. Ranging from management of stakeholders and contracts/ projects to data analysis and the utilisation of software specific to our organisation. The role doesn't have to be specific to the placement you received, for example I required work with Risk Management and I was able to another team who were more responsible for managing risk than my placement team.

All the skills I wanted to learn when I first submitted my CV have been smashed and I have had the opportunity to expand and grow further than I previously anticipated. The developed skills have been around communication and management of stakeholders which during the apprenticeship I have been given a large amount of access to.

The programme in and of itself has created me into a more self aware and independent induvial, whilst also enabling me to work well in teams. Once I learnt that to gain the most from the programme I had to search for opportunities myself I really started to thrive. Although the programme hasn't been easy, I think that is one of the main reasons as to why I have stayed as it has pushed me and I enjoy working in the organisational environment it has created.

In line with all apprenticeships they are really difficult to manage but if you're down to earth and honest with the scheme, then the structure is there to support you through the apprenticeship. A lot of the organisational support is spread across both the scheme and the placement managers which means communication has to be given to both, however it has meant that more support and structure is provided to the apprentices such as myself, and it has led to being able learn more over the apprenticeship.

There were hundreds of opportunities for continual improvement and growth and the employer really allowed me to benefit from as many of them as possible. The support from the employer ranged from days off specifically for volunteering to training days put together to be trained on the specialised software of the organisation.

After a change around of Skills Coach and being told to write things in a certain way and then changed back later in the year, the support from QA was paramount in me receiving a above 70% score for the APM Project Management Qualification. QA also provided the Skills Coach to support through the creation of my portfolio which without their support would have been very difficult to write in the set time period.

Although a lot of work in my role differs slightly from the APM Project Management Qualification, the Qualification has allowed me to be more informed in the ins and outs of the industry and it has significantly helped with my ability to provide meaningful and direct input into communications, meetings and stakeholder management.

Obviously working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that a large amount of events have been unable to be run. However in the first few months of the apprenticeship I was able to attend social events and interact with my team well of a business and social level. I was also able to attend professional networking events such as Business West over Zoom to promote the business and create more contacts in a wide range of industries.

Yes

This company although working from a slightly different way to the APM Project Management Qualification not only has provided me with a beneficial Qualification, but it has also given me access to a wide range of induvials. I have been given a lot of responsibility, support and trust when managing my work which has lead to me thriving in the environment and growing in areas that other apprentices in large companies haven't been able to.

In terms of advice I would say take as many opportunities to network and attend meetings as you can, as not only did they give me access to the wider network of a large organisation, but it also meant that I was more prepared for my role and I have been able to move forward in the business much quicker.