Business Apprentice Review

My role is based in financial controlling but I have the opportunity to experience placements in other areas of the business. I have weekly tasks from finance to creating reports which are used by multiple areas of the business to analyse their performance. I join team meetings and sometimes shadow other members of my team to understand their job roles.

Yes, I came into the apprenticeship with minimal knowledge of excel and my knowledge of this has greatly improved as I use it every day. My communication (written and verbal) skills have improved as well as my confidence. I am slowly improving at doing presentations too (from college presentation assignments).

I am really enjoying the apprenticeship so far, it is a valuable programme and I enjoy meeting new people and learning new things. I also think it is enjoyable working at BMW because there are so many other apprentices to get to know and get support from along the way.

The structure of the business apprenticeship varies for each apprentice meaning I didn't know what to expect before joining. I think the structure of mine could be improved because there were times where I was not sure what to do in my placement so I would prefer if there was a plan of my tasks before starting.

The support from my employer is good, my training advisor keeps in contact with me and holds 1-1s every 3 months and they are always just a message or phone call away if you need any support. Within placements there could be more support/ regular check ins but if you need something they are always willing to support.

Abingdon and Witney College offer 1-1s with us, but I have only had one of these this year. The college also hosts meetings every 3 months with me and my managers to review my performance. If we have any issues whilst working towards the degree we can contact our course leaders and they get back to us fairly quickly.

I find that the most valuable learning for my apprenticeship comes from on the job training rather than the degree course. This is because the modules we have covered so far have not particularly related to my job at work. The course often requires that our assignments relate to work which I find is good but it can be difficult if the area of work doesn't relate as much to the module (eg. business operations).

Yes, there are lots of things to get involved in. I am a member of the newsletter team, the charity team and sharepoint team. I find being on these teams valuable as I get to network many other apprentices. The charity team organise lots of events such as: football, rounders, quizzes, bingo, cake sales. All great to be involved in.

Yes

I think the apprenticeship has been a great experience so far and BMW is a good employer. After the apprenticeship, you are guaranteed a job which is very relieving as some apprentice employers do not do this. It also means you know you will get support as there is an incentive from management to support the future of their workforce.

My advice would be to research the company and fully understand why you want to work for BMW as this is really important. Be confident and enthusiastic, mention any extra curricular activities outside of academic work and explain what skills these have given you. Best of luck with your applications!