Data Architect Apprentice Review

On a day-to-day basis my role involves having regular meetings with members of my team to discuss various different projects that are going on within NatWest. Each meeting will involve various members across my team and the bank and from this I will be delegated roles and tasks which I can help with to ensure the team can deliver the work necessary.

Prior to joining I attended University, but had no experience within Architecture. As a result i have had the experience to build on a variety of skills and develop new skills in the past 4 months I have been employed. Some of the skills I have been able to develop are my critical thinking, team work, time management and problem solving.

I really enjoy the programme which I am doing at the moment as it is something fresh and challenging which I really need to apply myself to. Having a programme such as this allows me to test my knowledge and do work independently so that I can deliver work which will, help the team and the bank as whole.

The programme is very well structured as there is a good split between working in the role and doing work for the apprenticeship. So far I have attended 2 training courses and completed 2 modules, as well as be involved in a lot of different work within my team. So I think the structure is really effective as I can have time to do work for both the apprenticeship and the job.

NatWest and the staff are really supportive when it comes to myself. Prior to joining I wasn't too sure what to expect but all members of my team are more than happy to spend time with me to help me understand elements of my job and the role itself. There are also plenty of learning materials which NatWest have to offer which is another huge thing for helping me understand area's which I might not understand too well.

My QA assessor has been really good at scheduling meetings with myself to check-in on me and see how I have been dealing with the work that's been issued. Having these meetings allows me to ask any questions about the modules and any issues I've had when doing the work.

By doing the Apprenticeship, you are able to undertake modules which can be tailored to meet the role of your job. For example I have recently attended a Data modelling and SQL course, a primary part of my role is to do and understand Data modelling so it is really helpful so spend a lot of time looking into these areas and submitting work to be assed.

Due to the circumstances at the moment with the pandemic I am not too sure if there are any sports teams etc. that the bank has. However, NatWest does host a lot of various different events where you are able to network with other employees and develop your learning. An example of this is an event called challenge where apprentices and graduates have to work together to create new ideas for helping the bank.

Yes

From my experience so far everyone I have had the pleasure of meeting speaks really highly of the bank as a place of work and is dedicated to doing well. Even though I have been employed for such a short space of time, I too want to do really well and help the bank achieve it targets. Externally the bank is also really focused on doing its best to help customers which is also a huge factor for myself.

When applying for NatWest make sure that you do research into the type of role that you have applied for and what you can bring to NatWest. In my Interview I used STAR to answer questions and develop on situations. You should also look at the critical behaviour capabilities that you should assess yourself against.