IT Infrastructure Apprentice Review

My role is an IT Infrastructure Apprentice. My daily tasks involve picking up and working on VPN tickets and working with the user in order to fix the problem they are experiencing. Reading and responding to emails that I receive on a daily basis. I take care of subnet management in the EMEA region, this involves assigning subnets to different sites in the region for people to work with. I work on projects that my manager sets me, I have worked on 4 projects so far at 3M. 3 have been completed since my time here, I have to plan, assign and come up with a time scale.

Yes, I have learnt many networking skills. The best skills I have learnt would be troubleshooting and configuring, this was because it was brand new to me so I am glad I have learnt some very important skills during my time here. I attended external training courses over the year - Systems and Networking. This involved a range of Assignments to complete and I have achieved 3 MTA exams.

I enjoy my program very much, I also love coming into work to learn new skills and spend time with my new friends and colleagues. My team is great at 3M, they are very helpful and considerate and treat me equally so I feel very relaxed with the company here. It makes me comfortable to work and progress. 3M certainly met my expectations and I have enjoyed every minute.

I feel very valued at 3M as I am one of the team. Even though I am the apprentice I do not feel out of place in my team or workplace as everyone is treated with equal respect. I appreciate all of the appreciation I get from my manager, he has been very helpful over the past year with all of the new work, skills and training. I like that if you do a good job at 3M you get recognised and valued by receiving certain awards and certificates, which was lovely to receive so early on at the company.

The Induction was structured well except from all of the paperwork at the beginning which was difficult to manage and keep hold of for my SEAC advisor. The training has been on and off, at times it had been difficult to keep up as QA reorganised a lot of the sessions due to lack of trainers which could be quite disruptive with my work and on-going projects. This was nearer the beginning of the apprenticeship and did not keep happening which was good. The support I received from my manager and Assessor was great, I had a few mishaps with the travel to training along the way and my manager made sure I was always comfortable with the arrangements. QA and SEAC have also been supportive and tried their best with sorting out my training arrangements which has definitely helped. I have had plenty of time to study both at my work place and training, this is a big bonus of the program as it gives you time to revise for exams when needed. I also enjoy the support meetings I have received throughout the year, it has kept me comfortable and confident to bring up any issues I felt were necessary to raise. I would have to say the overall organisation of the programme was ok, because of the reasons above about late rearrangements.

Advisor - Monthly contact and I can also ring him when I please or have any issues to raise. He is normally good at getting back to you when you leave him a voicemail or a text message which is reassuring. Assessor - I speak to my assessor when I please, I can drop him an email and he is always very quick at responding if he is available. He is also very quick at responding to urgent emails which is very nice to have. I could not ask for more support from my training provider, as they have always been there for me. They are great at providing guidance with problems as my assessor goes through the procedure every time we meet. The general attitude towards supporting me is positive and very helpful all of the time.

I receive back unlimited support from my employer, my manager is very helpful with any questions or concerns and any questions I have regarding work he is there to answer and explain to me in his time which is very reassuring. The guidance with problems provided is very helpful and makes me feel comfortable.

My salary meets my cost ok. It is not great, but I knew this before I accepted this job role. It is affordable with my living costs as I have money left to space. But the salary is not affordable for my travel costs for example training, my location for training is in London and I live in Reading. So this takes me 2 hours to get there and costs over £100 for the week which is difficult to afford when I have no choice but to pay this expense up front. I do not agree with the fact that I have to pay for my training expenses up front when it is such a large amount, then I receive the money sometimes a month later depending on the expense dates. I struggle very much with this and have had to ask for a number of advancements as it takes a bit chunk out of my months wages. Everyone has been supportive of this and tried their best with helping when this has been the case. For all of my other costs my wages are just about meeting these costs.

Yes, there are many company events and activities. There have been many voluntary tasks involving the apprentices too, to get to know each other and speak to different schools about the opportunities 3M provide for younger people. There are many classes on-going at 3M which involve the gym, which is a great way to get to know more people.

Yes

It is a great opportunity and place to work at. To provide the skills needed in later life, I do not feel as though it something I could ever regret.

Be yourself and enthusiastic, be ready to learn and be confident. The assessment days are not too bad and the interviews are very friendly.