IM&T Developer Apprentice Review

I am an IT apprentice which means there are a number of different areas for placements. In terms of tasks, I have been asked to handle the delivery of projects from concept to delivery interacting with service delivery and the customer; I have also managed to change required interactions with project managers and change approvers. There are also many other smaller day-to-day tasks like database management and chasing up people for required information.

I have learnt many new skills. Before I started, I had no idea how about the process of delivering projects and I have been able to experience that lifecycle in different stages on my placements. I have also developed many business skills which I did not have before as well as developing IT skills that I already had.

I massively enjoy the programme. It has already given me the opportunity to sample many different areas of the business. This has been really good as it really gives you an idea on what the business does and helps make an educated decision on where to exit. It ensures that you have the right experiences in order to achieve the relevant competencies.

Very well organised. There is always a clear idea on where your next placement is going to be. There is also an element of fluidity which allows you to tailor your placements in order to match your interests and skills requirements whilst also ensuring there is a broad range of experiences.

Reasonable amount of support. There are opportunities to discuss placements, what is going well and not so well and conversations to understand where the next placements could be. There is sometimes a disconnect between the apprentice and line manager and there is not a lot of interaction there, but there are other available avenues.

There is a moderate amount of support available. There are apprenticeship coaches who are always on end to offer any support if it is needed. They also try and schedule 1 to 1s to ensure there is some element of interaction where any issues can be raised if there are any.

I think some of the teaching is often quite limited in terms of linking to what I have been doing in roles and placements. A lot of it does seem irrelevant to the business and most of the modules have not really been close to what I do on my placements.

There are some opportunities. These are not really promoted/organised by the business, but rather by individual teams or through interactions with other members of staff who organise things like that. There are sometimes department away days and apprentice socials organised by the apprenticeship council, but other than that nothing really.

Yes

It is a great place to work. Everyone has time for apprentices and is always happy to answer any questions and share knowledge. There is a real opportunity to experience many areas of the business and do meaningful work. It is a truly beneficial thing to do and helps you to gain a lot of new skills on the way.

Be confident. The process is not looking to trip you up, it is just trying to find out how you will fit into the business. Just be yourself and all will be fine. Try not to leave everything until the last minute to give yourself time to prepare and take a breath.