Test Manager Review

Since joining Capgemini in September 2021, i have worked in a few different roles including Test analyst, software engineer and i'm currently working as a Test Manager leading the testing and quality assurance for 2 high-visibility projects for a key public sector client. My day involves developing test strategy/approach, liaising with key client stakeholders and teams, developing test plans and running test phases, managing a small team of testers/devops engineers, managing defects and maintaining awareness of wider programme defects, producing test documentation and more. My role sees me regularly interact with important stakeholders both client side and internally and enables me to develop my leadership and communication skills, whilst managing expectations. Whilst its a lot of responsibility with me being the key person to sign off on test certificates for solutions, i feel it enables me to accelerate my growth and develop a unique set of skills through direct experience. To be given the opportunity to take on such a role is a privilege and thoroughly enjoy delivering exceptional value to our clients.

Absolutely! Capgemini is by far one of the best organisations i have worked at with endless opportunities and support to grow your skillset and to explore your interests. Since joining i have obtained certification in Test automation, ISTQB Testing foundation and AWS Cloud Practitioner and have been able to complete various soft skills courses including Collaborating with Clients, Technical Excellence & Engineering Best Practices. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Within Capgemini, there are many networks and groups across a wide variety of interests and areas enabling you to get involved with many initiatives outside of your normal day role. For example, Capgemini partake in a yearly charity challenge called Million Makers, ran by The Princes Trust which sees teams from various companies across the country, work to raise at least £10k each for the charity. This enabled me to develop and put into practice my leadership, negotiation, technical and communication skills whilst expanding my own network and having a significant impact on an important national charity. I have also been involved in with numerous internal tech challenges, enabling us to develop technical skills in emerging technologies like Generative AI, cloud computing and more. Outside of Capgemini at Sheffield Hallam University, i have also been to develop my technical skills further which i have been able to utilise within my day role at Capgemini. Throughout my journey so far the support has been phenomenal, and appreciate the dedicated time given to us on top of our usual annual leave as apprentices to focus solely on our studies and development. Additionally, the many events and sessions ran exclusively for the early and emerging talent community provide you with the key skills and network to succeed and are fantastic.

Overall, i thoroughly enjoy the programme. Capgemini are an incredible organisation and you are a valued and trusted member of the team from day one. The endless opportunities to develop new skills and 'Get the Future You Want' is phenomenal and i feel empowered to learn and grow as an individual. The core early and emerging talent team at Capgemini work tremendously hard to provide the best experience for us as apprentices and feel our voices are heard and we can get immediate answers to our questions. In the last year alone, the amount of positive change i've seen has been incredible, further exceeding my expectations as an apprentice. In 2023, Capgemini transitioned their Digital and Technology Solutions Degree apprenticeship provider from Aston University to Sheffield Hallam University. Whilst they could have quite easily just done this for new starters, they listened to our feedback and offered some cohorts the chance to transfer and the process from start to finish was smooth - a massive thanks to Chloe Lang, part of the Early & Emerging talent team at Capgemini for enabling this success. Since transitioning, it has led to an even more positive and unified learning experience which better recognises us as apprentices and Capgemini continues to listen and enhance their apprentice experience. I enjoy the fact that i am able to work alongside talented colleagues and deliver exceptional value to our clients whilst working towards a degree, earning a competitive salary without any debt. The direct work experience you get from working on large enterprise projects across various technology domains and tools is invaluable and enables me to put into practice the concepts and skills i have acquired from my studies.

When i first joined in late 2021, my studies were with Aston University which was ok, but i felt Aston's understanding of us as apprentices wasn't truly there and the quality of the learning and amount of coursework in tight timeframes wasn't great. In 2023, Capgemini transitioned us to Sheffield Hallam University which has been fantastic from the start. The structure of the programme provides us more flexibility and feel our voices are heard when we have a concern or issue. Whilst certain parts of the academic studies is rather condensed with a lot of assignments due in a short space of time, they have listened to our feedback around this and have revised this for future cohorts. This is a significant improvement over Aston and the wide support network available at Sheffield Hallam compliments Capgemini's own internal support network as well. At Capgemini, the programme is very clearly structured with strong and concise information provided to you from day one and throughout your programme, enabling you to manage your own time effectively.

The support from Capgemini is phenomenal both centrally and locally! Firstly, the core team that drive the early and emerging talent community and the programmes Capgemini offer are incredibly talented and all are dedicated to providing the best experience for us as apprentices. Whether its questions or concerns, advice or even opportunties, all members of the team are available and will happily support you. What i really like is some of the core team have been apprentices themselves previously which makes them relatable and they know exactly what you are going through. This direct knowledge of apprentices and the apprentice experience really makes a difference to the support, events, activities and opportunities that take place throughout the year. In the last 12 months alone, many new initiatives have been created such as a mentorship programme connecting you with senior colleagues, early and emerging talent awards - recognising success across the community, dedicated early and emerging talent office days with various sessions with senior colleagues, apprentice advocates committee to further showcase the value of apprenticeships across the organisation and much more. Locally, i have a fantastic support network that all empower me to grow and excel in my role. These include my People Manager who is there to support my career and personal development within Capgemini and to empower me to succeed, as well as our wider market unit early and emerging talent leads who enable wider success and are another point of contact for support for my programme. Outside of the support network, the flexibility to balance your time between work and study and generous amount of study leave on top of annual leave truly enables me to excel in work and study.

Overall, the support from Sheffield Hallam University is fantastic and feel our voices and concerns are heard and listened to. There are various resources and contact points for getting the support i need when i need it and there are numerous opportunities to speak with our module leaders and ask questions around assignments either in a group or 1-1 session. Whilst some modules are a little more vague than others, i feel overall the support received is strong and as time goes on, this will continue become even better.

As Capgemini is a large organisation offering a vast array of service and skillsets across a range of domains, the course is not going to 100% align but overall the core concepts and principles do support the work i'm doing on a day to day basis. I feel more focus could be included on more recent advancements like Generative AI to prepare us for a future where this is likely to become a daily part of our lives. I have been able to utilise both the technical and soft-skills developed during my studies to further enhance and increase the value i can bring to Capgemini and their clients.

Yes! As mentioned already, there are endless opportunities to get involved with initiatives and opportunities outside of your day role. Whether its charity/social value initiatives, office days, tech challenges, networking/social events and more, Capgemini really values collaboration and runs many networks and groups across a wide range of topics and interest areas.

Yes

If you love Technology and want an environment with endless opportunities to learn, develop and put into practice your skills with a wide variety of different clients, all whilst studying for a degree, gaining experience, earning a competitive salary and having no debt, Capgemini is the place to go, The support you have from day one is second-to-none and the endless opportunities to learn and Get the future your want and grow as an individual both personally and professionally is something Capgemini excels at.

Be bold but be true to yourself. Capgemini want to see your enthusiasm for the role and your interest in the respective opportunity you are applying for. If you are technical and have done side projects, mention these in your application and showcase these in your interviews as these show both your knowledge and your capability. Research Capgemini's History and their core values as this is going to come up at some point in the process. Showing your knowledge of Capgemini will make you stand out and further highlight your enthusiasm for the role. In the assessment centre, be bold and confident but show your true self. Capgemini want to see the real you and ability to work both as a team and individually. I know colleagues who were quiet in the assessment centre but still got an offer, so its not about being the loudest, but is in fact showing your ability to be a team player and involve everyone in the conversation, as team spirit is one of Capgemini's core values.