Tech Degree Apprentice Review

I am currently in my final year of my degree apprenticeship. Most of my days revolve around completing university assignments and attending lectures and labs. I also have occasional interaction with PwC. These meetings take different forms. Sometimes they are one-to-one with my career coach and other times they are group meetings.

Since the start of my degree apprenticeship I have learnt a lot more about writing code, especially the best practices for writing code in large projects. I have also learnt a lot more about the theoretical side of computer science. I have learnt about different algorithms which exist and their efficiency.

I find the content covered in my programme very interesting. The interaction between apprentice, university and company can be very difficult at times. Often it is not clear what is expected of us as apprentices and the university is often unaware of updates between myself and the company. This three-way interaction is definitely the least enjoyable part of this programme.

From a university side the programme is structured very well. Although deadlines often change, this is usually to benefit the student (i.e. allowing longer to complete an assignment). It is usually very clear what is expected of us as students of the university and when assignment are due. From the company side things aren't as well organised. There is often confusion amongst students due to conflicting messages from the company.

During my year in industry I was provided with as much support as I needed. This could be regarding a project I was working on or support in adjusting to life in the workplace. Throughout my time at university I have found that I did not need too much support from my employer as their were better placed people at the university to provide that support.

Throughout my year in industry I had very little contact with anyone at the university. However, whilst I have been completing my studies at the university I have had as much or as little support as required. Most of the lecturers are excellent, responding to emails and providing plenty of office hours for you to seek support as required.

I found that I learnt in the first two years of my study had a very positive impact on my performance during my placement year. Of course the university has provided us with practical skills in terms of coding but one of the main skills I have developed during my time at university is working on a project with others.

There are plenty of extra-curricular activities to get involved in at PwC. I play five-aside football every week with my colleagues. This is paid for by the company. There are also frequent team-building events and team socials to get involved in, although a lot of these take place in London. However, travel is usually paid for in full.

Yes

PwC is an excellent place to work. There are a lot of great people working at PwC and everyone is very welcoming. Although the work is often difficult it is always very interesting. There are a lot of opportunities to get involved in different projects which you may want to gain experience in.

Those applying to PwC should be aware that the company operates on a flexible basis. It is an excellent place to work and everyone is very welcoming. You should be open to taking part in as many socials as possible as this is a very big part of working at the company.