Lean Improvement Analyst Review

Day to day I have morning huddles with my team. I work on project based work so it varies day to day. Some days I join workshops and note down the minutes and then contact and share details. I work alongside colleagues, do process maps and data analysis and excel work too.

I have developed my communication and confidence skills due to working in a professional business environment with older colleagues who have a lot of experience. I have gained new qualifications in LEAN and also have completed a lot of training with Barclays which has certainly taught me new things and has allowed me to expand my network.

I enjoy my programme as the team I was allocated to be on covers different areas within the business. I look at projects, programmes, process maps and improvement as well as looking at data analysis and have expanded my excel skills. I believe the role I work in will also allow me to use my university degree.

It is well structured, with incorporated study days. However we do not have a solid communication leadership ladder, possibly due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. We have no career coaches and it has been quite rocky in terms of what I thought the programme would be like but also not being within the work office has made it harder to focus and learn as much.

There are different support channels I am aware of and support systems put in place. We are supposed to have a career coach although recently we have not had one and have already had 2 changes over 1 year. We have apprentice buddies which is useful for support, an apprentice one year above who does the same type of apprenticeship and there are a lot of wellbeing sources online and meetings as well as workshops.

This has been slightly rocky as well potentially because of the pandemic. We have not been into the work offices as well as having not been on campus so this has halted learning in my opinion. I am still succeeding and doing well but communication lines have been hard with it all being online and responses taking a while as well as technical issues. Further, our university programme keeps being changed so it is hard to keep up with that.

For my role y qualification in data science for university helps although it is different to the apprenticeship we signed up for and our business area is in Operations covering management and finance however our degree is in Data Science which is more technical and I believe would suit an apprenticeship directed at Technology slightly better.

I have not been involved in the activities if they are available as I have not been into the work office over the entire first year of my apprenticeship or on my university campus. I am aware of some of the online clubs and societies and forums that can be joined however through our forums and Barclays intranet.

Yes

I would recommend Barclays to another person, whether this be family or friends as they're very inclusive and there is so much opportunity within your job role and out of it, there is a lot of chances to get involved in new projects and work as well as develop your skills within a big global business.

I would advice that they make sure they know what they are taking on as it won't be easy to always manage your time and make time for a fulltime job as well as a fulltime degree but it is worth it with the qualification and experience that is gained by the end of the apprenticeship. I would also suggest ensuring you're a proactive person.