Support Analyst Review

My day to day role involves providing second line, and third line support for different applications within the government sector. A typical day would be monitoring the health status of applications, and assisting any users who may have a issue with them, whether it be over the phone or via email.

I have learnt new skills through the training courses which are a part of my apprenticeship, such as development and project management. I have also expanded on my existing skills I already had, such as unix skills and java, whilst also personal and communication skills whilst working in a team, and with clients.

Since I started this programme in 2016, I have enjoyed it. It has given me an opportunity to experience working inside of an office, in teams where the work you are completing has meaning to it. It has also enabled me to learn a host of new skills which I can use in everyday life.

As soon as I started this programme I felt highly valued by CGI, they ensure that we are all “members” of the company, making it feel a lot more inclusive. CGI also have a lot of member benefits available to us, including options to buy shares within the company and a pension

The programme I am on is relatively well structured from the CGI side of it, however myself and the other apprentices have felt that the QA and training course side of the programme hasn’t been as well structured as it could have been, which has led us to fall behind slightly on deadlines and progression.

The training provider provides a mediocre level of support for us on the programme. The training courses will follow the same structure of being read from a powerpoint with minimal input from us, and with not much real interaction on the courses. The training provider does however supply a lot of material to use.

The employer will provide an acceptable amount of support, by always ensuring that you will have sufficient time to complete the apprenticeship work, without being overloaded with other work. CGI will also offer a lot of support in ways such as providing member assistance programs, and “Oxygen” programmes to support healthy work-life balance.

At the start of the programme the salary didn’t quite meet my costs, but after working at the company and discussing with managers that has improved. There are progression paths which you can work towards, laid out by CGI, in order to further your career and improve your salary at CGI.

As CGI are a large company, with multiple competitors in the industry, there are certain companies which we are not allowed to work for alongside. As I also work in the area which requires a certain level of security clearance, there are restrictions on what other opportunities outside of work you can take.

Yes

I would recommend CGI to a friend as I believe it is a good opportunity to work for a company like CGI. CGI offers many benefits to its employees, and ensures that its employees are enjoying the life at CGI. There is also a referral programme within the company, which means both myself and friend will be rewarded if they get the job here.

One of the main pieces of advice I would give to anyone applying at CGI would be to do the research about the company, such as where the company was started and who the founders of the company are, and some basic numbers about how well the company are doing at the time.