Apprentice Project Manager Review

Shadowing a Programme Manager, providing admin support, leading working group calls, developing plans and schedules. Align to business principles and the governance support structure to remain compliant. I attend additional training sessions where possible and study additional methodologies to support with project delivery.

As part of the learning I have attended 13 virtual classes that cover a range of project manager topics. The most notable was Leadership theory and methodologies, understanding a team and what will help drives each member to succeed. I've also gained new skills with regards to planning and scheduling and understand which tools are appropriate to support delivery.

At the start of my programme I was unsure of the overall intention and delivery. However, as I developed a skill set and understanding of the profession I could reflect on my learning and understand the importance of learning the theory of project management first. The first part of the programme was theory based and on reflection this is needed, but the programme could be improved if this structure was communicated clearly from the offset, as for a time it is unclear as to how the learning is structured to match the position in role.

There have been issues between Babington & Centrica with regards to understanding the structure and content of my learning journey. There would be a benefit from having the apprenticeship management team work with Babington to outline the learning journey and the exposures that are required to allow me to understand and embed knowledge at the right pace where possible. There is currently an amount of ambiguity between the organisation and the provider.

I've had ample support in my role as an apprentice. When needed I have been able to take the time to attend training sessions and shadowing opportunities to develop my skills and understand ways-of-working. Whenever I have been unsure of a topic, I have had support in finding experts within the organisation who have been able to support on my learning journey.

Babington provided a clear breakdown of module revision, which ensured I had a structured revision plan to adhere to. Along with these plans, I also attended additional revision sessions based on the qualification, which helped to prepare for the content and set my expectations for the exam I had to sit.

There are different ways to apply project management, and I have found that there is a difference between the ways in which the topic is discussed within my organisation, Babington, and APM. This was tricky to start but on reflection, studying for the qualification within these three spaces helped me to recognise that this is the nature of project management, as delivery will be different between PMs and between organisations.

We are a hybrid working organisation but there are currently new opportunities in some of our offices to join in social and networking events. The organisation is currently working on adapting these to suit hybrid workers so that everyone has an opportunity to be involved.

Yes

The organisation is supportive and agile. The leadership will listen to feedback and will look to support a learning journey wherever possible. As long as you have gumption and an understanding of your overall goal, I have found the business supportive in helping you achieve them.

Set out clear expectations for yourself and understand what you want to achieve. Come with an open mind and be ready for change in an organisation that is evolving. Saying yes to opportunities, this will usually result in the best outcome for your learning and development.