Higher Business Apprentice Review

Currently I am working in Civil Power Operations. I work alongside Prod Planners in order to set out a weekly target for Operators online whilst simultaneously work with the Materials team in order to ensure that the kits are physically on the line to ensure Operators can perform at maximum efficiency

Working with various teams across site has helped grow my communication and soft skill. Working with a variety of internal business tools mainly focusing on drawing data has improved my IT and technical skills. I have also developed my organisational skills by owning specific lines allowing me to familiarise myself with products.

The HBA programme provides an opportunity to go around various areas of a well established business in order to gather an overarching knowledge of how the supply chain works from start to finish. Alongside this, many events are ran throughout the year relating to personal development e.g. professional discussions

The structure of the programme is reasonably well-organised. Generally rotating every six months provides a decent amount of time to learn the base skills of a role and attempt to make a difference through projects. However, the core rotations could be reevaluated as I don't believe the 5 core rotations that every apprentice must do are necessarily beneficial to each individual.

Overall the support for the apprenticeship is great! From a high level the Apprenticeship Lead provides quick responses, attends meetings frequently and communications well. Placement managers on the whole are also pretty good, many encourage development by providing project opportunities however some experiences from peers have shown me not all managers are so supportive

All tutors that I have had for my University assignments have been very supportive. I have been provided 1 to 1 feedback whenever requested and the group sessions alongside my cohort are very interactive and spark good conversation as we are a small group. Also, many directions of research are provided in order to assist with collecting evidence for assignments.

I would certainly say that I have related some models and examples that I have been taught/discussed throughout my uni sessions are relatable to my day to day role. Tough topics such as difficult conversations within the workplace and how to deal with harassment have been vital to shape my understanding of how to become a good leader

I play 5 a side football with the shop floor operators and other apprentices weekly! This is great for networking as you can gain thhat personal relationship which can often make work life easier. I have also attended many social events like meals with both my fellow apprentices and my placement teams

Yes

I feel the apprenticeship is a great way to get a University degree and gain real life working experience all whilst getting paid!! The opportunity for internal growth if you put the work in is great from operators all the way up to senior leadership. The benefits are also great

Focus on what makes you as an individual. What qualities can you bring that would make you work well within a team. When answering questions try and use examples that show a time where you have actually shown a skill instead of how you would if you were in a hypothetical scenario.