Software Engineer Review

My daily tasks involve: - attending team stand ups and any other meetings that day - completing QA coursework - working on any projects I am attached too - self learning (programming languages/software/etc) - attending QA courses when scheduled It is easy to keep busy even as an apprentice, when there is no work for me to do I spend my time self learning

When I first joined the apprenticeship I had no knowledge of any coding languages and now I am learning multiple. It is quite hard to keep on top of and a lot of work is needed to refine these skills. I also am now comfortable using code repositories and the software needed to do my job (IDE's etc). Attending meetings and being involved in a team, although minimal right now, is a great experience and gets you prepared for what's to come. I have also had some involvement with other projects and NatWest are good at getting us involved with other apprentices and graduates

I genuinely enjoy my job and putting in the work and effort in order to improve myself so that upon completing the apprenticeship I feel as confident as I can be. This role does involve a lot of technical learning and you can't just jump into things so spending a lot of time learning is key. On the job experience and motivation is key. As for QA, I am not a fan of the coursework we need to fill out like the health and safety and communication skills, it seems like the time filling these out could be used better elsewhere but the SQA deem is necessary. The classes they put on can be hit or miss too, it really depends on the teacher. Some of them rush through the class getting you to copy and paste so there is no real understanding of what is going on while others put more effort in going through a step by step process. The classes are also week long so it is a lot of information crammed in a short space of time and half that time is spent answering questions on a document made by the SQA.

I am not a fan of the classes put on by QA. I felt let down by a majority of the teachers who rushed through a curriculum of practical exercises so we could move onto the written work. I think having a couple days a week dedicated to 'college' would be more beneficial than week long classes, or at least extending the online classes so that there was more time for learning

I have a lot of support from my employer both professionally and personally. I think that I have been quite lucky with the team I have been placed in and really enjoy being part of this team. They have gotten me involved in projects and having the hands on experience has really helped. NatWest as an employer are also really great in terms of benefits and support. They also put on optional events for the apprentices and get us involved in other company projects to meet others across the bank. There is also yearly salary increases which are in line with inflation and as we are in a lower salary bracket at the moment this is very helpful

I have a QA assessor who I have regular meetings with, some are just catch-ups whilst other meetings are to sign off on coursework that I have completed. They have been good at communicating through email about setting up classroom dates etc. They are also available to contact if I have any questions about coursework

Honestly, after attending a years worth of classes (4 week long classes) I am really disappointed. I have learned more by teaching myself and a lot of them aren't necessarily related to my job and there is not much choice, if any, in what classes we can attend. I just have to do them to get the credits to pass the year

NatWest have a lot of social groups that are available to join that cover a wide range of topics and activities both in person and virtual. They also put on work events to get you involved with other apprentices and graduates working on projects. The apprenticeship team also organised zoom and in person meet ups with other colleagues from across the business

Yes

Yes, I think that NatWest is a great place to work and I have been shown nothing but support. I think the apprenticeship programme is great for taking on people with no experience and there is a role suitable to anyone who is interested in a career with the bank whether its a first job or switching careers. There were people of all ages and career backgrounds who were in my cohort

A lot of work is needed to be put in so don't waste the two years, do as much as you can. Everything about the job can be taught, so have a good attitude and eagerness to learn. The hiring process for me was very relaxed, just make sure to research NatWest and the company values and practice using the STAR method.