HR Degree Apprentice Review

The apprenticeship doesn't have a set role as we rotate around a lot (so this answer will be different to anyone else), but I am currently in my 5th rotation in the Assessments team. I am working on several projects, like assessing our senior leaders on their development potential and refreshing the Early Careers online assessments for recruitment. This involves communicating with suppliers, with leaders and key stakeholders, lots of emails, lots of tracking and reporting, lots of structuring.

Yes, I've grown so much as a person over the past 1.5 years. Skill development includes (but not limited to): time management, project management, multitasking, communication, smart brevity, Excel skills, Word skills, networking, policy reading and comprehension, presenting/public speaking, financial transactions, etc. The apprenticeship really helps you grow, and you can focus on all sorts of skills if you want to (the resources are there).

I have no doubts about my enjoyment in my programme. The community here is great - everyone is friendly and welcoming, and all are willing to help you and support you. We have great opportunities to develop through our rotations, but we also get picked to help out on side projects (that doesn't have to be relevant to our current role). The people I have worked with and the friends I've made have completely shaped the past 1.5 years.

We have 3 main sections of rotating: our first year is spent in a place called 'Services', whereby you rotate through the transactional teams (I rotated 3 times); the next 1.5 years is in a Centre of Expertise (basically sub-entities within HR, like Reward, Talent, DE&I, etc); the last 1.5 years includes becoming the HR tag to a particular business entity. It's structured in this respect, but there is a lot of freedom in where you go during your rotations (outside of the first year). It will always have its ups and downs in terms of organisation, but we have recently switched our Early Careers programme lead to someone who is more involved/engaged, creating an actual structure for our new joiners.

It depends on the team you have. My time here has been great so far, and I know I have support from my line managers and mentors - I know if I was struggling I could go to them for help, and if my capacity was too full they would help me find a way to alleviate it. I do, however, know people on the same program me who haven't had the same experience. Like every job, it completely depends on your manager. BUT our Early Careers programme lead would step in if we needed her to.

Our university isn't great, and the support they give is lacking. We rely on ourselves and our peers for help and support mainly. To expand, our lecturers don't give feedback catered to your own work (you can ask them specific questions and they will just skip over it). The assignments can be vague and confusing, and often they aren't explained well (for example being told to do a specific type of report without explaining what that report should entail, or not letting us know what outcome we should aim for in our assignments). The actual course itself isn't bad, it's more that the quality of teaching and support isn't there on the whole.

The majority of our modules aren't linked to what we do in our role (or in HR in general), but they can be good in giving us skills that will help us in the future in different roles. The only thing I can really say I use regularly that I've learnt from my Uni (at the moment) is my excel skills.

Yes, we are part of the Association of Apprentices, so always get those networking/workshop invites, and also have communities across different companies (like Microsoft and KPMG), different BRGs (business resource groups, like Pride, Women in Business, etc), and generally set up our own socials for us all to get together.

Yes

They have a great culture, especially for Early Careers folk, and gives lots of opportunity to all. Everyone is welcoming, and people generally love to help out Early Careers people if you ask. The community within the programme itself is supportive - we aren't a massive group per entity and so it's almost like a massive group of friends. Plus the pay and rewards are excellent.

Be yourself, and be open for change; show your enthusiasm and WHY you want this. Really research into the company and understand 'Who we are', as well as our strategy, and think about why you think you would fit in. It's the potential they care about, not previous experience (although it does help).