Modern Apprentice Software Tester Review

I joined HPE's Modern Apprenticeship programme in February 2016 as a Software Tester and my role involves executing tasks relating to the test plan, test case and test script. It's a very unique role that requires good attention to detail and the ability to keep focused in a fast-paced environment. I'm really enjoying it, especially when it comes to finding defects. Everyone in my team is very friendly and always gives a helping hand when needed.

I've learnt many new skills in Software Testing from shadowing my colleagues and executing test scripts by myself. Recently I passed my ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level exam, after an intensive course of learning the fundamentals of testing. Now I'm continuously learning more and working my way towards passing the ISEB Intermediate Testing exam. I have also developed many soft-skills from joining the programme, such as developing my ability in working as a team and independently and finding solutions to problems by myself. The fast-paced working environment also helped in keeping organised and on top of my work and improved my time-management and prioritisation for tasks as well.

I'm really enjoying it so far as it is very challenging working in a new environment. I have had plenty of support from my colleagues, managers and coaches, and the work has been very intense and enjoyable. It is still early in the programme but so far the Company has done a great job with helping me start my career in IT.

I do feel valued as an employee at HPE from my managers and colleagues in the workplace. Although being the youngest employees as apprentices, we are well respected by all employees and feel valued for the work that we do.

For this question, I'll have to split it between the Company's side and the training provider's side. From the Company's side, the structure is good. From Day 1, we knew mostly what our role entails and what we will be doing for the next couple of years and how our apprenticeship is structured. The onboading process did take a couple of weeks but we were given lots of support to help us set up our accounts, laptops and other admin things. We met our mentors and coaches and they are really good at supporting us further with settling us in the Company. I'd have to say that for the training providers, the programme is fairly structured as we know what our courses are and what we hope to gain at the end of the programme, however it is difficult to judge what each individual course involve. Our training provider has made mistakes, mostly to do with communication, as we were given short notice when it came to course content and exams. For example, we were given 1 day's notice before a 3 hour exam, so the majority of apprentices were overwhelmed by this. Communication can be an issue, but other aspects when it comes to training has been good.

We receive a fair amount of support from our training provider. At the start, I was impressed with the communication by my apprenticeship advisor as she kept me up to date with enrolment onto the apprenticeship programme. When we started the programme, the communication started to lack as we were not given enough information and were given sufficient information at short notice. However, the support from my training provider during courses is good as the tutors are very helpful when it comes to training. I believe that the administration side of my training provider needs to be improved.

I have received lots of support from my employer from the first day as the managers, mentors and colleagues provide a lot of help when it came to settling in at HPE. The onboarding process was very efficient and has provided me with lots of information to do with my role, the Company, the Company's culture and job prospects.

My salary does meet my costs well, for now anyway. I have to commute to work by train so it'll roughly works out to be over 10% of my salary and I don't usually have any other cost unless I buy lunch at work. The salary is good for the time being, but I do think it meets my costs well

There are many opportunities as we get notified of events many times. The most recent one was for Sports Relief and there are many more upcoming ones too which are both company and community based. The voluntary initiatives are great as I currently volunteer and I am able to get paid time off for it during the summer when helping out at a camp. I also hope to do more volunteering because of this.

Yes

HPE is a new and growing company and with the support that they provide, you can put your career on the right track. The opportunities are endless and the work you do contribute a lot towards your personal growth and development.

Don't be afraid to be the one that stands out, whether your in a group assessment or an individual interview. HPE looks more towards attitude than anything else, so as long as you have the mindset and confidence and you're able to show the Company that your enthusiasm, you'll stand out very well in the Company.