Application Development New Associate Review

I am currently performance testing. My day to day role includes running jobs on the database. Daily I have interactions with the majority of my team and those from others. Some of my responsibilities are quite large e.g., running a job myself. However, my line manager is always there to help when needed.

So far in terms of qualifications I am yet to take some courses however, in terms of the projects I have learnt to use new technologies such as LoadRunner and SQL Server. This project has made me more comfortable in using SQL and has taught me a lot about the ins and outs of working within a team.

I very much enjoy my project however, in terms of the programme having just come from A Levels, I find it slightly slow in terms of I have done some of the work previously. Furthermore, some training e.g., PHP although useful I didn't see the reason for the training as we had had Java previously and this training was not exam based so did not essentially 'count' towards much. Aside from this I think this programme is good if you are trying to adjust to working life before jumping into a degree.

I am very involved within the project and so feel quite valued. I am also given many opportunities for example grad events and a visit to Mansion House, which would not have been available had I not done the apprenticeship.

The programme structure is pretty organised. However, in terms of induction and training we were doing Java training for grads rather than apprentices and doing this made the induction a little more stressful than it should have been. In terms of the qualification, it is rather organised and meetings with my assessor are always on time and very helpful.

The training provider gives a lot of support. In terms of the assessor he always there to answer questions as quickly as possible and is on hand to help. However, in terms of training at the centre some tutors were supportive but didn't go into much depth and this meant that at times I relied on other colleagues or reading up myself. However, many times they were supportive.

I receive a lot of support from both my manager and the HR team who are always there when needed. My manager arranges time slots if needed to go through things with me in a meeting room using 'whiteboard sessions.'

Currently, I am living at home with my parents so this means that I don't have to pay rent. However, my travel per year costs around £4K per month this is half of my salary (this is with a railcard). Although this just meets my costs, if half my travel was reimbursed as travel is if an employee is on a client site this would allow me to save/experience more. Furthermore, in comparison to other companies the salary is quite low for what we are required to do sometimes this includes overtime - (only sometimes) however, we are not paid for this.

Many events are held for our career level and those slightly above. However, in terms of apprentice events being in London many things are expensive for most of us so this means that we have to plan far in advance to get together. Also, there aren't many events for just apprentices set up by the company. In terms of outside work, I am spending much time with friends from school who are at uni and having a large family means that a few weekends are taken up with familial events.

Yes

I'd recommend Accenture based on the fact that you can learn a lot from participating in the activities and your day to day job. However, based on a salary and social life perspective the company may not be right for someone who is interested in making money from a young age.

To bring something else to the AC and be confident. They should come in wanting to seek knowledge and have a professional manner about them. Opportunities wise I feel interviewees should have a wide range of previous opportunities.