Designer Review

My role as a designer is to craft seamless, digital experiences across our app and website. My days are always really varied, from researching projects, conducting customer interviews, wire-framing, creating UI and usability testing – which is something I love about my role. I get to combine creativity and problem solving each day, which keeps things really interesting.

The Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeship has a really varied syllabus, which has meant I’ve gained a lot of new skills and knowledge and become a ‘T’ shaped person. For example, design is my expertise but, the course has up-skilled me to be able to code, understand the core principles of project management, how to attract and retain customers and conduct research projects – plus much more.

Overall, the programme was really enjoyable and I would strongly recommend it. I’ve really enjoyed learning new skills and meeting new people. At times, there were some challenges (juggling my role and studies) but, there was always support from my employer and the University to ensure I could meet my full potential.

The programme was really well structured. Each year I had a clear view of what I’d be studying, when I’d be studying it and how that fed into my overall qualification. Because of this, me and my team were able to plan my work projects around the syllabus so, work and University could complement each other.

My employer provided a huge amount of support to me. There was a clear understanding of what the degree required from me and so, my team always ensured I had whatever support I needed. I had regular check in’s with the career team to ensure I was on track and could raise any queries or request additional support if needed.

The University provided a lot of support throughout the programme. I had a skills coach that I had regular check in’s with to check on my progress, set goals and generally lean on whenever I had queries or needed support. My tutors were also really supportive but in sessions and out of hours via email.

By completing the Degree Apprenticeship, I have been able to gain knowledge, skills and experiences that I wouldn’t have necessarily got from my role alone. Because of this, I have advanced in my role at a quicker rate and feel far more confident in my abilities, than I believe I would if I hadn’t completed the programme.

Our employer offers a lot of extra-curricular activities. On site, there is a number of different sports you can get involved in, as well as craft and gaming groups. There’s also a lot of opportunities to network (internally and externally) and build on public speaking through the likes of the toast masters group.

Yes

Barclays has been an incredible employer to start my career with. From day 1, I’ve had a fulfilling role that I’ve loved. I’ve also had a team of people around me that want to see me succeed so, they have always ensured I have the training and mentoring needed. I’ve had lots of ‘extra-curricular’ experiences from mentoring (being the mentor and mentee) to getting involved in charity work.

Be open and honest about who you are and why you want to join Barclays. Also, try to have an open mind about the roles the bank can offer – I never thought I’d want to work in Tech but, Barclays gave me opportunities that opened my eyes to roles I’d never thought of. Make sure you read any applications carefully and answer all the questions to the best of your ability – put the time in to applications, it usually pays off!