Software Engineer Review

Software Engineer Daily tasks involved in the role is working with other members of the team to provide a solution to a client's problem. On a daily basis, all of the different teams within out business group will meet and hear what is happening; as well as that there are more specific stand-ups within our teams that relate to the specific work we are completing. Personally I haven't had any external interactions yet.

While in my apprenticeship so far I have developed my Java development skills, as well as HTML, CSS, Javascript and UNIX knowledge. Before being placed within the business unit, we completed 9 weeks of training to ensure that we had the skills before being placed into our business units. For external training, as part of my course I will be completing the MTA in HTML, CSS and JavaScript and will be completing a course from BCS on Development life cycle's

So far I am thoroughly enjoying my programme, and work with a very accommodating and supportive team. I feel the company is trying to raise awareness of things such as gender inequality and the LGBT community so that they can become a more ethical, people-centered company. So far the only thing I think that could have been improved was the first 9 weeks of training as some things were covered which weren't needed and some sections wasn't covered in enough detail, for example JUnit.

So far I feel that the team I am working in is very supportive and that everyone is easily approachable for any problems that I may face. My current manager has checked in to see how myself and the other apprentice are doing within our unit which I felt was very good. At the moment, I personally think I could be more involved with some of the things going on within my team however I understand it is difficult due to the nature of the work we are doing and due to my lack of knowledge on the system we are working on.

I have felt the programme we are on is as organised as possible considering we are now completing the new Trailblazer standards of apprenticeship which is still a very new concept for businesses. Due to this there have been some logistical problems although they were resolved quickly and we were informed when these changes were made. I feel that when we first started we had a very good induction week where we learnt more about the company, got to know some of the other apprentices in our cohort before then looking at how we can improve. The only other thing I could say that would improve the programme is as I mentioned earlier and either have different training schedules for Devs/Testers or have reviewed what we were being taught compared to what they use in the business units.

From our training provider, we have multiple points of contact including tutors we may need advise from, contact with the curriculum manager that helped design the course we're on, and access to a safeguarding and prevent hotline which are external from our company and training provider. As well as being able to contact the above people when required, we are also having monthly meetings with either a tutor or the curriculum manager to review how we are progressing.

Within the company I feel that there is a lot of support available, and at the current time I have 5 different people, as well as the HR department, who are available for any problems I may be facing. As well as these points of contact, I am being supported by members of my team in regards to getting set-up with the systems.

Personally I feel the salary package we are on is very generous and it successfully meets all of my living costs and travel costs. This may differ for others however as I have minimal living payments currently.

While with the company, where I am based, they have their own on site gym facilities, "break room" facilities (e.g. pool tables, table tennis, kitchen area, etc) and faith rooms. Outside of the company, there is strong support for the local community and any charity events that employees are involved in. Within the week as well, people have organised "coding katas" that people can get involved in during a lunch time to help improve their Test Driven Development in Java, Scala and some other languages.

Yes

Personally I feel that even though the company is a very big, multinational company, they still care about every employee and aim to make them feel safe and secure while at work. As well as that I feel that there is support there for people who may need that bit extra and that even if you don't have a technical background, Capgemini will put things in place to help improve your ability and ensure you are ready for the job you are going in to.

When applying for Capgemini, honestly just be yourself and show that you have a passion and a willingness to learn new things within the company as they are always interested in helping people progress through whatever route you want.