Technology Degree Apprentice Review

I go to university during semester time and do placements with my apprenticeship provider during summers and certain semesters of uni. During term time the only contact with the apprenticeship provider I have is weekly 1hr sessions to learn more about the company and improve professional skills. On placement I have a 9-5:30 role where I am allocated to projects and work just as a junior member of the team in terms of responsibilities

I have indeed learnt new skills from my placements, I was encouraged to pick up numerous industry used programming languages and platforms during my summers and also I developed soft business skills such as taking and producing minutes, providing feedback and presenting project updates to clients and stakeholders. I find that my placements allow me to apply my academic knowledge of these areas and strengthen it with a business perspective

I enjoy my programme for the most part, I like the company I work with for my apprenticeship as the environment is very supportive and they want us to do our best however I don't think our placements are as tied to our degrees as would be good, as the projects aren't as technical as I had hoped but I still enjoy learning other business skills

I feel like the programme structure doesn't work very well with Scottish Uni Degrees as we have to miss semesters of uni to do work placements as our degree is 4 years long which is annoying to miss out uni content. However the programme is well organised and I know what I need to be doing, and our personal tutors and contacts at the company are very supportive and caring.

I get lots of support from my employers, we have weekly cohort presentations to keep us engaged and learning new skills, we have numerous business contacts which look out for our best interests and support our development and the company have placed focus of mindfulness and mental health support which is nice,

My university are quite hands off when it comes to learning as a typical Russell Group Uni approach however there are numerous places where I can go to get additional help from fellow students. In my experience too, lecturers and tutors are more that willing to spend time and ensure your understanding of content.

I feel like doing university alongside attending placements is really crucial in terms of critically developing my skills as I not only know these skills in an academic context, e.g learning Python for Data Visualisation, then using these skills in a project and applying industry standards to my work.

I think there are quite a few extra-curricular activities to get involved in from what I see in my emails, my base office is rather small but they have a couple of sports team and social activities for special dates. I haven't been on placement for a prolonged period of time but I'm hoping to join some when I'm there for longer than 10 weeks, I did attend the office Christmas Party though which was good.

Yes

The environment, especially as a new / junior member is very supportive and focused on improving your skills and no stagnating, managed through regular setting of goals and getting and providing feedback. Additionally, there are many different teams we can work in which allows us to develop into well-rounded professionals and widen our network.

I would advise to really read up on the company website and ethos and they take this very seriously and it is important to show you match this ethos throughout your application. Additionally I would read up on the STAR method of responding to interview questions which will come in handing. Be open to learning about many different areas of business!