Software Engineer Review

I work within a variety of different teams over the course of my apprenticeship on a 6-month rotation basis, gaining experience in different parts of the software development lifecycle and learning the various processes and procedures that a software development team uses. I have developed an understanding of Agile methodologies such as Scrum and this is a part of my day to day, with daily stand-up meetings and sprints.

Before joining the apprenticeship, I had only done programming in a couple of languages such as Python and HTML - since joining, I have worked in various projects using Java in the workplace, and have got to complete university assignments in languages such as Java, C#, C++, JavaScript, CSS, HTML and PHP, making me a much more versatile software engineer.

I enjoy my programme most of the time - everyone I have worked with in the office has been friendly and helpful and I am usually able to join a team and start helping relatively quickly. I enjoy the university side, as I can see where the learning is reinforcing what I do at work and vice versa. The diploma that we do alongside the job and the degree is less enjoyable but I can see how it is necessary as it shows what we are learning on the job.

The days in the office are always very organised and I always know what I need to do. My weeks have a good consistent structure, with a 60/40 split of in the office vs at home completing diploma and university assignments. The block weeks at university tend to be well structured, however they have been impacted by strikes in the past which has had quite a large impact when we are delivered a whole semester of lectures over 2.5 days. We have also found that some admin side of the degree, such as timetabling and exams, is sometimes forgotten about, but this isn't BAE's fault as they have to wait for UCLan to release this information.

The Early Careers team are generally available to support with any queries relating to diploma/university, and my project teams have always been very good at providing support when needed, either through a buddy system or just making themselves known and available to me.

When we are on our university block weeks physically at UCLan, we are able to get support from the lecturers in person. When we are in Yeovil and doing our assignments at home, lecturers are contactable by email or Microsoft Teams, but this doesn't always guarantee an immediate response.

I feel that the degree definitely reinforces and helps develop our understanding of what I am doing in my role, with some definite crossover. BAE choose the modules that we take throughout the degree to what they feel is most relevant to our role, which I have definitely felt. However, they don't limit it to specifically what we are doing at that moment in time, but give us a good range of different modules to help make us competent and well-rounded software engineers.

Through BAE, I am starting to get involved in being a STEM ambassador which will allow me to network outside of the company. We have also completed an Outward Bound program with software and aerospace apprentices from various BAE sites across the country, which allowed us to connect with people outside of the Yeovil office. However, the apprenticeship is a bit light on networking events within the office or organising social events - these tend to be self-organised informal events by other apprentices or team members, but these don't happen often. It would be good if BAE could organise some social events for the apprentices, as it's scary starting a new job and most likely not knowing anyone, especially when a lot of us aren't from Yeovil originally.

Yes

The apprenticeship is a very good opportunity and BAE have integrated it very well into the day-to-day around the office so we never feel like an unwanted addition or a waste of space. The paid-for degree feels like a no-brainer, as you still do the same course and come out with the same qualification as traditional university students, despite the material being delivered very differently. The salary is very competitive for an apprenticeship and there are a lot of benefits, such as a share-save scheme which allows you to buy company shares at a discounted rate and they match them up to £75.

Before applying to BAE Systems I would look at what the different roles at each site can offer you in terms of experiences, as different sites will be involved in various different projects. You are also only able to apply to one role a year, so researching different roles and sites is definitely advised.