Tech Degree Apprentice Review

During the university study year I fully focus on my studies and do not have to work for PwC. Then during the summer, I join the company for placement, where I am allocated to a team and work alongside leading professionals while being treated as a regular employee and contributing to the team.

I have already developed many new skills such as understanding Microsoft Azure and working with Excel PowerQuery. Alongside this I have developed many other skills such as time management, communication skills, presentation skills or how to best present myself. Apart from this I can set aside several hours each week for personal development in any skill area I desire.

I really enjoy the idea of being able to fully focus on university studies during the year and then having a guaranteed summer and year long placement without having to worry about interviews and recruitment for such placements. The team itself is really friendly and helpful, listening to my ideas and allows me to make an impact.

The programme is really well organised, we have weekly catch ups with the programme team during our studies as well. Before start of our placement we went through well prepared induction process and are supported along the way having mentors checking up on us regularly. In addition we have a career coach ready to answer any questions related to our work placement.

To be honest, we receive so many well-being tips, ways to navigate the workspace, explanations of set up procedures and along with the regular check ups, one almost becomes overwhelmed by the support they get. In addition we always know who to contact whenever we have any issue or question. So overall we are very well supported

We are free to horizontally develop in any area we desire and are given hours each week to do so. Alongside this, we receive vertical training in key business areas lead by business experts. In addition, we can work towards and certification which we can find use for in the business area and the certification expenses will be paid for us.

The university provides us with many vital skills and practices that are used on daily basis in our role. To give an example, we were taught the leading project management approach, SCRUM, and were able to use it in our role, saving us time otherwise spent on learning this important skill. Many of the skill we were taught are unlikely to ever get used though.

There are many social events organised by individual teams, ranging from bowling to football matches. In addition, there are loads of possibilites for volunteering activities and helping the local communities. In addition, we are encouraged to join classes in expertise skills. Moreover, all teams provide presentations of their projects allowing us to network and find new opportunities.

Yes

I was allowed to study at a great university and get my degree paid for along with receiving a salary to pay for my life expenses. This alone is great but coupled with the massive amounts of support we get, the invaluable experiences and the opportunity to develop our skills in whichever way we want is just awesome.

The application process is quite rigorous and each phase tests different part of your personality but my ultimate advice would be to be yourself and do not try to cheat the system. In addition it really helps to learn a bit more about the company's core values and principle and demonstrate them during the application process.