Service Delivery Analyst Review

My role is that of a Service Delivery Analyst within the Estate. As such my responsibilities comprise of ensuring decommissioning plans for infrastructure reaching end-of-life are in place and achieved by the given deadline. This means engaging with stakeholders to create a realistic plan and submit these monthly to the Technology Lifecycle Reporting Team to ensure each team is on track. Each team has a Risk and Control Lead who is accountable for the team’s submitted work and responsible for the outcome when reports on funding usage are submitted at the end of the year. These plans are prioritised against key risk indicators that are put in place at the beginning of the year.

In the course of my apprenticeship I have learned a number of professional and personal skills. Due to the nature of my role, I learned to improve my presentation and organisational skills. As Part of my ongoing learning in work and university I learned programming in HTML, CSS, Python, Java and SQL as well as Cyber Risk Assessments.

I enjoy the fact that every day is different and allows for your to grow. The programme is versatile and touches on several areas to ensure you have a wider understanding of Cyber Security, the pathway i chose in university. The programme itself is a great opportunity to apply what you learn in university to your job role which is a great experience.

The programme is well organised as the responsible programme leaders ensure to liaise with the employers and establish a curriculum that is relevant for the organisation and ensures that you have the competence needed after completion of the programme. The programme includes very valuable knowledge that goes beyond curricula and can help in every day life too.

The support from my employer is enormous. Barclays has great support in place for everything you might encounter and always offers a helping hand. I have felt understood and cared about by my employer during the last four years and feel that I have been given the opportunity to grow within my role and develop into a mature ad competent professional in my field of work.

The support from my training provider Manchester Metropolitan University has been great in terms of help during difficult times I was encountering, during Covid and having to study from home. The university and programme leaders were in constant contact with us and ensured we received the best level of support for our individual circumstances: I felt that my learning provider has proven to be one of the best in the country to provide Degree Apprenticeships and that it’s a privilege to study here.

The qualification is structured and aligned to what my employer expects and so the skills I acquire help me perform better in my role. Over the last four years I learned more and that led to being promoted twice as I got better in the work I do. Personally, I think this is a great achievement.

My place of work has an on-site gym and a huge tennis and football court. This allows for great events during the summer days and is always a great opportunity to connect with colleagues. Aside that there are various groups like the Northwestern women, Diversity and inclusion groups, Black Professionals Forum etc that one can join. There are also regular events to promote apprenticeships by inviting high school students onsite and share one to one experience with them and give the opportunity for them to ask questions.

Yes

Barclays is a very agile and flexible place where people value people. There are certain standards everyone adheres to and it makes working together a great and valuable experience. I can’t imagine myself in a different working environment as it offers so many ways for development and upskilling. Additionally, it is a place where one can feel safe and heard as there information on mental health, well-being, referrals for ergonomic chairs, risk assessments for expectant mothers, buddys and mentors as well as your line manager. Having a company believe and invest in you by providing all this and paying your tuition fees is a privilege.

I would say, be yourself. Apply with an open mindset and confident in what you know but open about what you do not know and show a willingness to learn because that will open doors for you and allow for you to have the best experience possible. I joined the technology degree apprenticeship coming from a non-technology background and today after four years I can proudly say that I am a Cyber Analyst with knowledge in this field and also in project management, services and technology delivery as well as programming.