Rating
- 1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
- 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
- 3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
- 4. How well organised/structured is your programme?
- 5. How much support do you receive from your employer?
- 6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
- 7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
- 8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
- 9a. Would you recommend Softcat to a friend?
- 9b. Why?
- 10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Softcat?
At Softcat the day to day tasks involve finding, building and developing professional business relationships with businesses by cold/warm calling and emailing into accounts. Finding relevant contacts within the account and learning about their current IT environment are all things necessary to find ways you can improve their IT state.
At Softcat the following skill I have developed on the most is my communication skills, I have gone from being nervous to make my first cold call to hosting my first customer meeting within the space of a few months. Other new skills I have picked up along the way is time management and organizational skills alongside relationship building being the standout new skill I have picked up.
I have massively enjoyed my time at Softcat even joining throughout a pandemic. There has been a good balance between on the job and coursework with support that is available at a fingertip. Whether this is kit we needed from working at home to experienced individuals jumping at the opportunity to guide you through your Softcat Journey
The balance between coursework and on the job is a 20/80 split, which equates to 1 day a week dedicated to coursework which is more than enough time. Throughout the program there are regular internal training sources that will help you with things from making calls to writing emails to hosting meetings.
The support we receive at Softcat is phenomenal from Apprentice Managers & team to the learning & development team. We receive everything we could ask for when it comes to working from home from laptops, keyboards and mice to desks, chairs and second monitors. All of which have come included at no expense.
The training provider has been great with a dedicated tutor in both the sales and technical side of the apprenticeship, we have 2 calls a month with each of the tutors who go through the coursework and they have even been able to help apply this to our actual work.
The knowledge I have gained from the trainer providers have helped me apply technical knowledge to my conversations allow me to uncover further opportunities I may have missed otherwise without asking the right questions to the sales knowledge that has helped me not sound too salesy while being a salesman.
There are plenty of extra-curricular activities to get involved with from sports like football and golf to nights out with the team which get funded by vendors that we work with. Everyone is a friendly face at Softcat with our culture being the key to our success as a business.
Yes
I would recommend Softcat to a friend because the environment is a great place to work in with help and support alongside a good basic salary with uncapped commission plans allowing the success to be truly down to how much work you put into what you do. This is why I would recommend!
The best advice I would give to someone applying at Softcat other than some sales experience being a massive help would be to show you are keen to learn and improve and are not afraid of rejection and can be resilient when it comes to your work. This alongside a positive and friendly attitude can go along way.
Details
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Marketing
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
May 2021