Software Engineering Degree Apprentice Review

At the minute I currently handle change requests and SLA/KPI management on incidents and changes raised by our client. This is to gain insight into activities around the account (sector of the business I work in) before I move into a software development role.

I have learnt a lot of soft business skills such as time management, and how to communicate more concisely, effectively, and appropriately. I have also learnt about the ITIL4 framework on a training course that was funded for me by CGI, and have been able to put this to use in my role.

Everybody around the office is incredibly friendly and is always happy to offer you support in any way they can. This makes trying new things easy and enjoyable. I prefer learning hands-on rather than from a lecture so the workplace is perfect for me to develop. I do also attend university once a week which does involve lecture and at the moment I am not too keen with the content being taught at the moment, but by looking at the rest of the modules I will be taking I know that it will get more enjoyable as time goes on.

Work is well structured, but that does not mean that it is not flexible either. I have a "mentor" that helps me manage my time to avoid me taking on too much work than is feasible. She also helps me to seek for new opportunities both inside, and outside of my role. We have a hybrid working environment, meaning that we can work from the office, or from home. Personally I work from the office 3 days and spend Friday working from home.

Everyone about the is super supportive and is willing to help if I need it. I have previously mentioned that I have a "mentor" that helps me out a lot. I am also encouraged to take training courses to help me in my role and allow me to develop my skills. I have frequent catchups with my team and have quarterly meetings involving both university and work.

At university we have designated "skills coaches" that help us keep on track to meeting our apprenticeship standard. In terms of the actual content we are being taught I am not too sure if I can answer this well as I haven't needed that support yet. I do know that our lecturers are open to emails and will try to help the best they can, and that learning material is made available to us before each lecture.

The business modules within my degree have definitely helped to take more professional approaches to problems and to view each problem as an organisation, instead of an individual. This is useful as it allows me to see the wider scope of an issue and be able to keep track of it effectively.

CGI has a "Sports and Social Club" (SSC) that lets anyone signed up (apprentices get this for free) to host any (reasonable) activity they want and CGI will subsidise some of the costs. I host a bouldering club at a local climbing gym as part of the SSC and get we get our membership for £10 instead of the full £35!

Yes

CGI has been very welcoming and helpful in starting my career. Everyone is super friendly and a joy to work with, and there are lots of opportunities for you to develop.

100% just be yourself, in the interview talk about your hobbies and interests, and don't be shy to give examples of when something hasn't quite worked out for you either. Showing how you have learnt from a failure in my opinion is a lot more powerful than pretending everything has always went your way. Also remember to smile!