Software Engineer Apprentice Review

I work on projects for clients helping to solve a wide range of different tasks. I specialise in data science and data processing. The day to day role brings new challenges each day and is a very exciting place to work if you enjoy problem solving and working on a wide range of projects.

I have learnt lots of new skills for my role and am still learning now. The organisation takes personal development very highly so you will get lots of opportunities to develop new skills and ones that you are able to bring over from past experiences. There are many training providers and opportunities to join specialist training providers.

I really am enjoying my time at the organisation so far. It can be a challenge to start off with, especially on an apprentice programme and you could find it a bit harder to get to grips with the daily operations, but it is entirely worth it and brings so much excitement from the role and also getting some of the university experience.

I feel that the onboarding process for my particular organisation could have gone a bit smoother, and I have heard from other apprentices that they agree with this statement. However the programme now runs smoothly. There is always an opportunity regularly to catch up with line managers and also with the rep from the university.

There is always support from the employer. I did find a little when I first started that I was slightly left to my own accord, however now that things are moving a bit smoother I have started to get some more support from both my line manager and from my team I work with on a daily basis.

I do not feel that Aptem really does much for the qualifications, I may be misunderstanding the question slightly but Aptem is more of just a tracker for the university and for the employer to be able to see your progress and track OTJ (off the job) workings. The uni provides lots of support from reps and lecturers though.

As I am not that long into the programme, I am currently more on the fundamentals side of the qualification, however from looking at the schedule for the next few years and being able to go through the apprentice handbook, I can see that there are many modules that will be useful to my role!

There are many available within the organisation. It will depend on where you are based but there is one big apprentice network across all sites. There are internal people networks for particular things such as the Sikh Network too. Based on your location, there will be opportunities to network off site which will be organised there.

Yes

BT is an inclusive organisation that seems like it does care about your development and wanting the best for you. It provides you with so many opportunities. Having only been in the business for 6 months or so, I have already had the opportunity to work on real projects with a client and actually making a difference, including trips to visit the client and their site.

Please just keep applying. Specifically if you want to work for BT: research the organisation and where you will be working. It should say in the brief. BT is a big organisation with internally split units. Knowledge on these specifically will make you stand out in the onboarding process. If you are made to do any interview group work then make sure to contribute. Do not go overboard, but also do not say little to nothing. BT is big on collaboration so will want to see this in you. GOOD LUCK!!