IT Services Apprentice Review

Typically my days involve fixing IT related issues and resolving requests for users, informed via tickets that come through from our service desk. Since it is a second line position that I work at, initial troubleshooting has often already been performed so the role requires going more in depth into the issues and trying to solve the root cause. I also maintain a lot of equipment, keep track of stock, have levels of system ownership and onboard new users.

I have learned quite literally around 90% of my IT knowledge from starting here as I had never been in an IT role before but always had an interest in it. Especially prevalent is my development in networking fundamentals and root cause problem solving. I have also realised that I enjoy utilising PowerShell to fix and report on problems remotely.

The program itself I'm a bit on the fence about as despite loving the work and the learning portion of the course, I don't enjoy the layout of the projects at all. I understand that we need to prove we know everything, but I feel like this could be done through a test of some kind rather than projects that take up a huge amount of time and don't actually progress my learning during the course of doing them. Every time I finished a project, I would just be super happy to be on my normal work for a while afterwards.

I would say it's structured quite well; I feel like the learning portion could be larger for my preference but also understand that the provider likely can't dedicate that much resource to every course. I really liked the training weeks as I feel the variation from normal work exchanged for a block of training was very welcome and helped retain my engagement in both my job and my learning.

I receive a heavy amount of support from my employer, nowadays they are always asking if I need anything more and my line manager has been incredibly supportive. The only thing I wish was improved was the communication on the potential around moving between teams as the original plan for the apprenticeship was that I'd move between teams every 3 months but that seemed to be forgotten about somewhere down the line despite being brought up every month or so. My manager remedied this by organising taster sessions where I shadow another team for a couple of days.

I have received plenty of training from my provider whilst working towards my qualifications. They have always ensured that I know I can come to them and have helped me through some difficult situations. The only improvement I could think to make would be making sure not to make errors such as reporting work as unfinished when I had submitted it weeks prior and then messaging someone who wasn't my Line Manager with the notification.

I wouldn't know half what I know in terms of IT without the training weeks on subjects such as server fundamentals or even just the IT basics. Most of the personal development side of things feels like an afterthought but I don't really need it anyway as I don't feel like there's much I can learn from that side of things.

There are definitely some activities available (mostly nights out) but the majority would be on the professional side such as conferences or free courses for small qualifications (such as the Microsoft certifications). There are also plenty of volunteering opportunities, however, I haven’t had much time to take part in them as much as I’d like to.

Yes

The community is very healthy here, despite working with hundreds of people, I think I’ve only heard of a couple of issues people-wise from my team and luckily none that stand out for myself. Plus the business seems genuinely interested in looking after it’s employers as I have had many pay rises since starting as a way to combat the cost-of-living crisis.

Research the company and what we stand for, make sure you know the difference between a building society and a bank. Despite this, I would also say don’t be afraid to ask questions about the company if you have any. In my case I managed to get into the apprenticeship without any prior experience in IT so don’t be too worried about prior experience if you’re going for an apprenticeship role – part of the idea is that you get taught what you need as you go.