Associate Software Quality Engineer Apprentice Review

My role involves connecting with team members in the morning to review our work status and then picking up testing tasks that need to be completed. This also includes communicating with other testers and developers and even other teams around the world if you need their help or to support them.

I have developed my basic testing skill set I acquired in a BTEC course and now I am experienced with different testing methods such as manual, automation, API testing and accessibility testing. Alongside this, I have also developed my collaboration and presentation skills from giving presentations, testing demos and working with people outside the business.

I enjoy the apprenticeship programme from both the training and everyday work perspectives. I am most keen on learning different concepts, processes, information and methodologies and then actually being able to put them into practice when doing my day-to-day job. I also enjoy the numerous in person events that Pearson hosts for both its employees and specifically apprentices.

My programme is very well structured. Starting from the training standpoint, I have one day of training per week and dedicated days to training classes where I learn different concepts and information starting with all the units that are included in the ISTQB exam. Learning this teaches me and helps me to understand the terminology used day-to-day and further my knowledge as a tester. I also have two types monthly check-ins with my apprenticeship coach which check my progress and focus on anything that I would like to learn more about or my EPA.

I receive a large amount of support from my employer, from many different areas. I mainly receive support from my immediate team members who help me with clarifications or help me to double check work, as well as my line manager who I am always able to contact and frequently checks in with me and my team. I also receive support from the apprenticeship department who organise events and are easy to talk to if you need advice or information about your apprenticeship. Finally, both my line manager and the apprenticeship department frequently communicate with my apprenticeship provider to monitor my progress and provide feedback from both sources.

I receive a support from my training provider and especially my coach when working towards qualifications such as the ISTQB exam. For this my coach ran revision sessions for the whole class and individual ones for me when I needed more support with some questions. My apprenticeship provider also helps me with and reviews my portfolio for the EPA as I develop it.

My qualification helps me to perform better in my role by mainly teaching me the basic concepts of testing, then allowing me to get on-hands experience during my regular work days. After that, the qualification goes into more detail and explains more complex aspects of the concepts which allows me to further develop as a tester.

I have attended a good amount of social events in person at the office. Most of these allow the employees to gather insightful information about their department, whilst introducing them to new people that they can socialise with. Some of these events also include fun games that test your brain or allow you to learn more about your colleagues.

Yes

I would recommend Pearson to a friend because they make you feel at home and a part of a bigger community no matter if you are an unexperienced apprentice just applying or part of the higher management team. They also make sure that you are getting the support you need and there are at least 15 different people you can ask the same question at once, which makes you feel a lot more comfortable and supported.

My advice would be to show that you are a confident person in your application and that you are not only focused on your work and the given role that your are applying for. You should also highlight your personal aspects and that you are interested to take up more than your role describes.