Technology Degree Apprentice Review

When I am on a work placement, my role involves working on client engagements. They can be anything from quality assurance to reperformance or data migration. They entail calls (both internal and with clients), coding, debugging, reporting. Even though I am an apprentice, the responsibilities are those of an associate.

Work placements allowed me to acquire new skills such as data manipulation & visualisation and coding, as well as hone already existent ones (communication, teamworking, time management). Moreover, I now understand what working in a professional environment means (professional etiquette), I was taught about data protection and security in the workplace.

I am enjoying my experience very much. PwC has a culture of it own, with plenty of friendly people and exciting opportunities. There are many layers in the team structure, but you get a chance to experience more of them, before settling somewhere. There are social activities, support systems and many benefits that come with this programme.

The structure of my programme was a bit unclear at the beginning (particularly in terms of assessment), but everything soon made sense. There are times of the year when I have University courses, and times when I am on work placements. In the work placements, we are assigned a 'buddy', a business contact as well as a career coach. In the University, we have a personal tutor. Everything in years 3-4 counts toward your final mark, but there are support systems in both parts.

My employer is very supportive. Ever since joining, we were assigned a 'buddy' (usually an associate/senior associate), a business contact and a career coach (manager or above). Also, there are entire teams dedicated to ensure our well-being. There is a helpline we can call, and just by working at PwC you build a wide network of people who are always happy to help.

The University of Edinburgh has a support system of its own, but it's a bit more difficult to access, in my opinion. We have a personal tutor, whom I like very much and who time and time again goes above and beyond to make sure we succeed. However, in terms of University teams dedicated to ensure well-being, they have been overwhelmed at times.

The role of the training provider is essential in my qualification. University courses offer the foundational knowledge needed to build one's career. We are taught theoretical aspects, as well as some smaller-scale examples. We are introduced to team-working and presentations, which are very important in any professional services career. Work placements allow us to test and complete our understanding with larger-scale examples.

My employer offers a variety of extra-curricular activities. There are special teams and committees assigned to organize them. Some are office-wide, some team-wide, some are just for apprentices, thus allowing us to meet people of various ages and roles. Social events include but are not limited to: movie screening, quizzes, escape rooms, bowling, walks.

Yes

PwC is amazing from a lot of points of view. It has many teams and lines of service, so plenty of opportunities, many offices in the world, many big clients with various projects, its staff is extremely friendly and open-minded. Another thing to like is flexibility, since employees can choose to work from home even 2-3 days per week.

I would advise future applicants to be curious, brave and honest. Nobody is perfect, and nobody expects the world from you. Things take time, but as long as you keep your good spirits and curiosity up, you'll be great. People want you to succeed, and they will help you in your journey.