Associate Project Manager Review

As a Project Manager, I am expected to manage projects from start to finish on behalf of our valued clients. I am in charge of ensuring that project risk, resources, financials, timescales, quality, communications and stakeholders are actively managed for the benefit of the project, the wider program, and indeed the business. I communicate with my assignment manager, project team/s and the client on a near daily basis, and hence I have become well versed in communications with internal and external stakeholders. I have undertaken a number of large and small scale IT projects on behalf of our valued client in the media industry, the BBC, and I am currently working in a program management capacity for another of our clients, Network Rail.

I have gained an industry recognised qualification (APM PMQ), and have earned by Level 4 Associate Project Management qualification. I have also managed to take advantage of internal training courses such as Lean Six Sigma. I have developed numerous personal skills and have built my confidence massively in the process- though there is still a way to go there. Further to the basics of Project Management developed while studying for my APM PMQ and overall Level 4 qualification, I have learnt a lot about the politics of project management through my experience as a Project Manager, and know how to manage this. I have also learned about the detrimental impacts of constant reporting and bureaucracy on a project, and how best to manage this so as to reduce any negative impacts to the project.

I very much enjoyed the Programme. The work itself was (in most cases) different every day which was exciting, and more often than not I felt challenged (which is a nice feeling, you wouldn't want it to be too easy!). My project teams have all been brilliant for the most part, most of my team members have been friendly, optimistic and enthusiastic. Most of my team have also been more than happy to assist me in my development. The company culture is a positive one. The company is open and honest with its employees, and provides lots of benefits and a generous annual leave quota. The company also provides lots benefits and a good salary. The Programme met my expectations, and I did enjoy my Programme.

The introduction was excellent. it consisted of a trip to the Lake District to develop our teamworking skills, and a trip to the University of Wolverhampton. We heard from Tutors at QA Ltd, and from various members of the Atos community, and we were made to feel at home. Training was more than adequate with a good internal learning platform and monthly 2-day-long courses led by QA Tutors. Support was excellent. The Tutors and Skills Coaches at QA were all excellent and clearly very experienced. Atos Line Management were also excellent in their approach to my development as an Apprentice. We were given 1 day per week to study which was more than enough in my view. My Programme was very well organised on the whole. Though the rate of turn over of our QA Skills Coaches seemed to be somewhat high, this did not disrupt my learning.

Management were always enthusiastic toward our development and provided us with plenty of opportunities. My Line Manager even helped me prepare for my 'End Point Assessment' by allowing me to present and providing feedback. My experience with HR was quite limited so I am not in a position to comment on this, but where I have needed to reach out to HR they have been prompt and helpful. There is a lot of emphasis on the importance of mentoring at Atos, I have had mentors in the shape of individuals who have worked at Atos for years, to those who have not long completed their Apprenticeships themselves. This meant I had numerous individuals from different backgrounds with different experiences who were able to provide advise, and help guide me through the early stages of my career.

I had lots of support from my QA Tutors and Skills Coaches. All of these individuals were happy to mark mock exam questions and listen to my practice presentations. I have never experienced teaching like this in that the Tutors and Skills Coaches always seemed to have time for me. I enjoyed my time learning with Atos and QA and would highly recommend QA as a training provider on the whole.

The qualification gives me a good grounding of the basics of my roles, and many of the skills are transferable to other industries and job roles which is good in terms of my longer term career aspirations. I would say that since the qualification is not officially a 'HNC' for example despite being a Level 4 qualification it may not carry as much weight, but this would be the only criticism I would have (though it is arguably a significant one).

There are plenty of events and opportunities to Network and socialise at Atos. The GIA community (Graduates, Interns and Apprentices) host lots of social events, and there are lots of 'Networks' such as the Green network to get stuck in with. Employees at Atos also have a quota for paid volunteering leave which I am hoping to take advantage of soon as part of a beach-clean volunteering event. The location of the Atos office in London means that there is a lot to see and do outside of Atos-organised events. On several occasions, myself and my Apprentice colleagues and friends have ventured out straight after work to socialise and have fun.

Yes

Atos are open and honest with a range of benefits to choose from including a good salary. Atos provides lots of opportunities to its employees to move around the company internally, and is keen to upskill its workforce with qualifications such as PRINCE2 and Lean Six Sigma. The vast majority of Atos employees are really friendly and are always there to lend a helping hand if needed, and it is accurate to suggest that the diversity of the workforce makes Atos a very exciting place to work in terms of meeting new people with varying experiences, backgrounds and perspectives.

Research Atos and find out what it does. There are so many industries that Atos involves itself in, and there are plenty of exploratory and cutting edge technologies that Atos is working on and developing. Showing an interest in these will assist you when it comes to the interview- it gives you something to talk about and makes you seem keen. Assessment days consist of a teamwork activity. Do not be afraid to get stuck in, and make sure your voice is heard. This is an opportunity to show the assessors what you are capable of in a given situation. The onboarding process is straightforward, but be prepared to spend about 3 to 4 days completing mandatory training and getting used to the workplace as a whole. It's a lot to take in!