Apprentice Review

I work in two different departments, my main team and the card operations team. From Monday - Wednesday, I am with the card operations team and I close client cards and money accounts. On Thursday I have a dedicated study day to focus on my degree and am hoping to get a first class honours. On Friday I work with my normal team and am given tasks to complete by my manager such as creating Visio diagrams.

I have learnt a lot of new skills. As I started the apprenticeship as soon as I left sixth-form, I had no experience of working in a corporate environment, but since I started, I have developed a variety of new skills such as being able to communicate proactively, time management between my degree course and normal work and also how to keep things professional in the work environment.

I really enjoy my programme as it allows me to learn from my degree studies as well as learning actual systems within the work environment. I also have a very supportive manager who will assist me with anything that I have trouble with and am going to be joining new teams in the future to develop new skills which is very exciting.

My programme is very well organised. I am with the card operations team from Monday - Wednesday, have a study day on Thursday and am with my main team on Friday. My manager has also planned out what I will be doing for my first year and the different teams I will be joining to help develop new skills and interact with new people.

I receive a lot of support from my employer. If I ever need any extra time to complete an assignment for my degree course, I can ask my manager and she will usually give me extra time to focus on it and also assists me with any problems I run into with any of the systems that I use.

I receive quite a lot of support from my provider. However, I am focusing on multiple subjects at one time and some of the modules that I study do not have enough lectures to cover all the material. For example, my Software Fundamentals module only has 4 lectures but the module itself is 20 weeks long so I have to try and learn how to code on my own to create a program to submit as an assignment.

I think that my qualification helps me perform a lot better in my current role. My first module is on Technology in the Organisational Context and it is based on how technology can be utilised in an organisation to improve efficiency. I can utilise systems in the workplace to get tasks done quicker and improve my productivity.

There are no extra-curricular activities to be honest. I would love to play sports with some of my team, but I do not think they are really interested in getting involved. The only way I can network is by joining new teams and meeting new people through that route.

Yes

The CEO of the company has made the company a great place to work, especially for young people trying to develop new skills. She also handed out bonuses in January to support everyone with the cost of living and emailed me personally when I first joined as an apprentice and wished me luck with my programme and personal journey.

Try to make yourself as presentable and professional as possible. The interview process is quite daunting but do not let it get to you. Also even though you may be quite young like I was when I first applied, do not be afraid to ask questions and have an open mind, ready to learn new things.