KBS Apprentice Review

In the ASK team you get sent requests from EAs and Partners in the business to complete admin tasks. Throughout the apprenticeship you get put on projects in different areas of the business to expand your skills and knowledge. In he 2nd year of the apprenticeship you get to specialise in an OEH areas (e.g. Finance, HR, Risk)

From the first day of starting, you develop many skills from IT skills such as PowerPoint to ensure we are using the correct branding to Communication skills as we will be working with a variety of people from different grades.

The apprenticeship is very interesting as you get put on a variety of work which all have a business benefit. We gain feedback from the work we do which is very helpful for us to develop. Sometimes depending on the team you get put into, the work may become a bit repetitive.

The programme is very well organised as we know what we expect from the BPP and work side of our apprenticeship. Some more clarification on what happens in the 2nd year of the apprenticeship and the end of the apprenticeship may be helpful. Some more guidance may be needed to know what we want to do after the apprenticeship has finished, e.g. are there opportunities to do another apprenticeship?

We started our qualification in January. We get a study day or two half days which is very good when balancing our work and study. Majority of the time we are able to watch our scheduled webinars as we just let workflow know that we won't be responding for a specific period of time.

The BPP coaches are very friendly and know what they are talking about. You can always email them when you have a question and they normally respond the same day. More clarity is needed about revising for the exams as even though they are 1 year away, it would be helpful to know what we are working towards.

As part of the BPP work we have descriptors which we need to meet in our work and evidence throughout our apprenticeship. This is helpful as we can ensure we are meeting this in our day to day work to help us get the best grade. The descriptors which we need to meet our standard stuff such as communication skills.

I personally have not been involved in any extra-curricular activities but I know that there are a variety of things to do. There are many networks which host events in offices throughout the UK. There are lots of opportunities to network via coffee catches and networking events throughout the year.

Yes

The culture at KPMG is very friendly and people are always available to help. Joining a big company has many opportunities which you can get involved with and you get to meet a load of new people from different backgrounds. This is very important especially when starting out my career.

Networking is very important and you can gain lots of opportunities from doing this. Reach out to previous apprentices to see what the roles involve and whether it is suited to you. Even if you get put on a project in an area which you don't like they will help and direct you to a project which would be more suitable for you.