Apprentice Review

My role is a cloud analyst - my team is responsible for managing the entire virtual estate and the hardware it resides on. Daily this comprises of the creation and management of virtual machines as well as the hosts and clusters the VMs reside on and in.

I started off with zero experience in this sort of work and through the team I was placed on was able to shadow lots of different work to build my skillset. I now have a fairly good understanding and have learnt many new skills.

The programme has been great - a mixture of (mostly) on the job work with some courses provided by QA interspersed. The mostly hands-on work in the day-to-day job really makes you feel both valuable and as if you're progressing.

The program could use a little more structure. From the QA side, the first year's apprenticeship was very short and easy whilst I was placed on a slightly less relevant course for the second year accidentally.

My employer provides full support in both my professional and personal development needs. Development is encouraged and discussed at frequent one-to-one meetings with management and plans are often put in place to ensure a continued, supported development within work.

QA provides adequate support throughout the year however the courses are all rather short. The different tutors that are provided for each course are extremely helpful and ensure nobody is left behind and the assessor you are paired with throughout the year ensures that you are comfortable with other units.

For the first year the qualifications I was working towards were applicable in a general sense to the work I do, being that they were IT/networking based. Unfortunately due to an error I was placed in the wrong course for 2nd year but it is still helpful in parts.

There are a number of events put on throughout the year by both the apprenticeship team for professional networking but also by the wider bank to assist in professional and personal development as well as further business networking.

Yes

As an apprentice the wage I receive is extremely fair and the support given is amazing. I haven't worked at another place which has given the same sense of community or worth as here.

For the application process, be as calm as possible and focus on what value you bring and what capabilities you have. Once you have a foot in the door, take up all the opportunities you can to be involved. Career progression is about more than just technical ability.