Advanced Apprentice/Security Administrator Review

I am an advanced apprentice but my day-to-day job role is an administrator within the security vetting team. This means processing clearances for new and existing employees and contractors. I provide support and help to applicants who have queries regarding their clearances, this is done both via email and over the phone. I have to carry out checks via third parties for the applicants including criminal record checks and credit checks.

I have learnt many new skills since being in my role, first and foremost I would say that learning how to send emails in a professional manner as this is something that I have never had to spend much time thinking about before, and is now something I do on a daily basis. I have gone on two courses so far, both for Sense and Respond and I am due to go on another course next week for Creative Presenting which I believe will be highly beneficial to me. I have learnt so much about security and the amount of details I am allowed to give out to specific people and how the security processes within the company work.

Joining Fujitsu as an apprentice is definitely one of the best things I have done, the teams I work in (both office and apprentice) are so supportive whenever I have a question or need guidance. The scheme is great and I am so glad that it is so easy to modify to make it relevant to my specific job role and the tasks that are involved with that.

I feel very valued by Fujitsu. When I was going through the process of being interviewed and applying for my job, it was made clear to me that apprentices are a big part of the future for fujitsu and that we are important to the company. That is very much reflected in the wide range of courses and experiences that are offered to apprentices, they are constantly encouraging us to better ourselves.

I am very happy with how organised my programme is. I see my assessor from my training provider every 4-6 weeks, if she is unable to make a visit we will have a telephone conversation instead. There is a clear outline of what I need to get done and the time frames that said work should be completed on, and I am currently on target to meet my expected completion date as my assessor has told me.

I receive a great deal of support from my training provider, she is very keen to ensure that I understand everything we discussed in her visits before she leaves and I comprehend everything that I need to do before her next visit. I am five months into my apprenticeships and have had no complaints regardng my training provider to date, it is an exceptional service and I am happy to be a part of it.

Fujitsu ensure that every apprentice has more than enough support when they join and throughout their apprenticeship. As like most apprentices, I have two managers, one assignment manager who helps me with issues/training relating to my day-to-day job role, and my line manager who is responsible for HR matters. I think that it is so important to have this support as my line manager is someone who is established in the apprentice community and knows lots about the apprentice programme, where as my assignment manager has never hired an apprentice before and does not know as much about that side of things - although she has certainly done her research to ensure she understands as much as she can.

For an apprentice, Fujitsu offers a very good level of pay. I am fortunate enough to still be living at home and I do not have to travel very far at all to get to work. So as a whole, my outgoings each month are nothing too drastic. I do think it would be difficult to support myself if I was living alone/traveling quite far each day to get to work but that is not something I need to worry about at the moment.

There is an almost constant flow of emails coming through encouraging employees to take part in events relating to Business in the Community or CSR activities and managers are more than happy for you to take part as long as you still have enough time to get your job done. There are also events run at the Thames Valley Social club which is on site for those of us in the Bracknell office which include yoga classes and other leisure/social events. I have not attended any of these but if it is something that is beneficial to some employees then I think it is a great thing to do.

Yes

It is a great company to work for, there are many opportunities for career progression and you can tell that they genuinely care about their employees, especially apprentices. I love the company's ethos and what it stands for, it is a company that dedicates a lot of its time to raising money for its charity sponsors and taking part in other responsible business activities.

I would say go for it, as I have said above it is a great company to work for. Even if you don't know what you want to do, an apprenticeship is a great place to start as there are many places to move around to. I didn't know what I wanted to do before I started and now I never look back. The interview process was not intimidating at all, which surprised me due to the scale and success of the company, the managers genuinely care about ensuring that the role is suitable for you and that they genuinely believe it is something you will excel in.