Project Management Degree Apprentice Review

As an apprentice I am placed in different areas of the business on a 12 monthly basis. My work on a day to day basis is dictated by my placement at the time. As a Project Management apprentice I can be placed in areas such as Planning, Contract Management, Risk and Governance amongst other areas.

I have learnt fundamental project management skills in the workplace such as stakeholder management and communication, planning and control of the cost and status of projects, contract management etc. I have also developed soft skills such as confidence in communication, innovation and resourcefulness, leadership and creativity amongst other useful skills.

I enjoy it very much. I joined the degree apprentice programme during the Covid 19 pandemic and because of this, most of my time on the programme has been spent working from home, but I have still been able to learn a lot about both the business and project management.

The programme is structured well, with clear expectations and responsibilities outlined to all levels of apprentices. The induction period was comprehensive and ensured we were well transitioned into the business. Training/University days are clearly allocated and the programme is structured well and allows us ample time to focus on both placement work and academic work.

I have always felt well supported by the employer. The support network for the apprenticeship programme is clearly outlined and people are always happy to assist you with any problems you might face. At a placement level, people within the core business are very accomodating and will help you grow and develop as an apprentice.

The support from the training provider has been mostly good, all the tutors from the university have been very helpful and have delivered the learning for our degree very well, and personally my assignment results have been good and so reflect this. There have been some instances though where support has been more limited, particularly surrounding written essays and how to produce one to the proper standard.

The university side of the apprenticeship has only helped boost my knowledge and performance in my project management placements. One of the recent university modules covered subjects that were very relevant to my placement at the time, so I was able to apply this knowledge to the work I was doing, and I found that I understood the work better and that the quality of it improved.

There are plenty of extra curricular activities to get involved in, and these activities are clearly signposted and advertised by the business and its wider teams. These activities can help develop you as an apprentice and contribute to working towards the apprenticeship standards. Many of the activities offered might be inaccessible though to people who live and work remotely out of town.

Yes

The projects you will be working on are very complex and intricate, but simultaneously very interesting and it's a privilege to work on them. The people are great, very helpful and supportive and will guide you through your career at BAE to ensure you develop and learn but also enjoy yourself.

Be passionate and interested in what the company is doing. You will be working on highly complex programmes which take time to understand, so if you are more actively interested and committed to them you will learn faster and your contributions will be better. From my personal experience, BAE recruiters really value this.