It Support Officer Review

Day to day work involved answering IT requests at the door, over the phone, and by email for more than 2000 University staff and students. My current role is similar to the apprenticeship demands, however as a full-time employee I have more responsibility and can help in any area of the job.

My apprenticeship had a great balance of learning and applying the skills that I had learnt. The off the job time was very valuable for acquiring the knowledge needed to tackle problems that I have to solve during everyday work. Developing this knowledge and skills has allowed me to seamlessly transition to full time employment.

I really enjoyed my apprenticeship, and in particular the working environment I was in. I always tell people that the thing I like most about my job is that everyday is different. There are parts of my day that remain the same, but these are not boring, and for the most part I am finding something new to work on each day.

The apprenticeship was well structured, with 4 days in the office and 1 studying from home per week. I found the time at home very useful to progress with my studies without the distractions that might be in the office. I would also have a day every month to meet in person with my training provider and other apprentices on similar programmes.

My employer has been extremely supportive throughout the apprenticeship. My manager has been a great help, and has always pushed me to try and achieve more, which is what I need. He is one of the reasons why I was able to achieve further industry level qualifications whilst working on my Level 3 apprenticeship. He always knew I was aiming towards a full time role, and made it clear what was needed to achieve this.

My training provider was very supportive, when we had a chance to meet. At the beginning of the course, I had 1 to 1 'coaching', but towards the later stages there were far more apprentices on the same course, and we had group coaching. Digital Native encouraged me to push for more qualifications like I mentioned before, and provided me with all the resources I needed to achieve this.

My qualification was the perfect preparation for moving to full time employment as I could learn while I was doing the job. I don’t think I’d be nearly as confident as I currently am had I not gone through 18 months of development, and a gradual increase in workload/difficulty throughout that period.

As a team we often go for lunch, which I really enjoy. It's a good chance to socialise ouutside of the office. Also, I am a member of the apprentice ambassadors team, and have attended school/career fairs, as well as social events organised by other ambassadors. It's nice to talk to people doing similar roles to mine, in a social setting.

Yes

I would recommend an apprenticeship at the University of Oxford to anyone, young or old, looking for a way into an industry that they are interested in. It’s the only way to learn a skill while also being paid! Also, it allows someone to start off with little to know experience and leave with a great increase in knowledge as well as valuable experience. The University have been a great employer and have always supported me.

The best advice I could give to people wanting to apply, is to just do it! It's such a good opportunity, especially for those who don't fancy going to a university to study. I have got great experience in my role, as well as a qualification all while being paid. There's nothing to lose.