Software Engineer Review

I am an apprentice software engineer, and my main responsibility at the moment is to engage with learning. I take part in daily team meetings and have assigned tasks from the training provider, Firebrand, to complete on a regular basis. I have an in work mentor to support my learning and am now at the stage where I am beginning to contribute to the work within the team. I have a weekly office day which has helped in building working relationships and provides shadowing opportunities. I also have residential courses through Firebrand that I am expected to attend every couple of months.

I have learnt a great deal of skills in my time as an apprentice so far. I began this apprenticeship with no previous coding experience so there has been a steep learning curve, but my team have been extremely welcoming and are happy to answer my questions or help in any way that they can.

I really enjoy being an apprentice at Lloyds Banking Group. Apprentices are really valued in the business and so many opportunities are provided for us to succeed. have had the opportunity to attend a networking event in Birmingham and an engineering convention in London, both of which have contributed to my personal development. Lloyds Banking Group's values also mean that I always feel as though I'm being treated fairly and am compensated well for my role.

From a Lloyds Banking Group perspective, I feel as though the apprenticeship has been well organised. There is plenty of support put in place for apprentices and regular check ins to see how we're doing and feeling. However, I do feel as though our training provider, Firebrand, has been less organised. The information provided to us varies depending on the Firebrand mentor and there has been a lot of change in policy/way of doing things without consulting apprentices. It can also be hard to understand what Firebrand expects from us due to the ambiguous wording of tasks.

I receive a great deal of support from my employer. I have an in work mentor and a buddy, who has recently completed the same apprenticeship. Having someone who has been through the apprenticeship process has been a huge help and reassurance, as they have been able to understand the challenges. I have regular check ins with my line manager and am well aware of where to find additional support if I require it. There have also been multiple groups set up by Lloyds to support networking amongst apprentices and contacts provided for any apprenticeship issues.

My experience with Firebrand has been quite mixed so far. Some mentors and tutors are fantastic and have delivered a high standard of support and teaching. Others have been less supportive and hard to get in contact with. Firebrand has been keen to take on feedback from apprentices but I am unsure of how much of this feedback is applied. Much of the feedback that myself and colleagues have passed on are issues that were previously raised by the last cohort of apprentices. There have been a few instances of incorrect information being given to apprentices, which has had to be corrected by another mentor at a later date. There could also be more understanding from Firebrand in regards to flexibility. For example, we were told at the start of the apprenticeship that it would not be a problem to attend courses virtually, but now have been told this is not possible.

I do feel that my qualification is preparing for me to develop as a software engineer, as we have key criteria to achieve over the course of the apprenticeship and projects to complete. Whilst not all the criteria necessarily apply to my team, we were asked to share this at the start of the apprenticeship so that any issues in achieving these could be resolved. This is positive as it means we have a broad understanding of the role of a software engineer, rather than just how it applies within our teams.

There are a great number of extra-curricular opportunities within Lloyds Banking Group. Some that I have personally taken advantage of are mindfulness sessions and a group for women in tech. There are many others that I have not been personally involved in. There are plenty of opportunities for networking too, particularly for apprentices. I have also taken part in a number of team events which has helped to build working relationships.

Yes

I have never felt as valued and respected within a role as I have within Lloyds Banking Group, despite still being at the beginning stages of my apprenticeship journey. The culture here is incredibly inclusive and welcoming. I am paid very well for an apprenticeship and am offered a great range of benefits.

Lloyds Banking Group isn't looking for candidates who know everything there is to know about the role. Rather, they are looking for those that fit into their values, have the right soft skills and show a passion for learning. Just be yourself in the application process, and remember that the interviewers are not there to catch you out, they want to get the best out of you.