Analyst Programmer Review

My main role was part of a small software development team that supported a major insurance sector client. This involved working alongside clients and other CGI members to produce estimates and evaluations of pieces of work as well as being able to deliver the enhancements once complete. My daily tasks primarily consisted of ticket handling whereby I will investigate issues and queries raised by members of the client and respond to them in a timely manner. In addition to this, when a change request requires my involvement, I would move my effort towards that as a priority. These were all decided by the team leader who I reported to for this project.

I have learned a plethora of new skills; both technical skills and soft-skills in the workplace. This was developed through on the job training and guidance from team-members. I have learned to code in PL/SQL and can understand the inner-workings of a database that are the data handlers for the client's information. I have also improved my communication skills; when I started the course, I found it particularly difficult to get my ideas across to the listener. But now, after practicing for 2 years, I can confidently pass on my explanations without issue to both internal and external recipients. The only formal training course that I completed in this time were the ones provided by the apprenticeship provider and funded by CGI - the rest of the skills were picked up through working alongside the other team members and assessing how the approach different scenarios.

The company culture of CGI is focused towards employee satisfaction and ensuring that each person has voice. While I might not have a perspective of how this fares against other companies, the culture at CGI certainly gives the office a positive atmosphere to work in. The people I work with have been welcoming and friendly and understanding my limitations due to my experience (or lack thereof). This has made the apprenticeship that much better as I didn't feel stressed or pressured by the work I was doing and meant that I could simply get my head down and focus on getting up to speed on whatever I'm looking at. The work overall has been amazing, and while it has its inherent negatives, it has helped me to grow as a person and understand more about IT in a way that college never could due to the industry experience.

My managers have been very understnading throughout the 2 year course - they have been helpful in providing me the resources and guidance that I needed to progress within the team. This made me feel understood and gave a sense of value once I managed to become competant at the relevant subject. CGI has it's own internal recognition site where members can put other members up for a reward for their work on specific projects. I was recognised for someting that I worked on earlier in the year and gave me a greay boost in confidence because I knew that that piece of work was done correctly and up to standard.

Overall, on the CGI side of the programme, the course was well structured and organised. The only issues lied with being able to contact the right people and being able to getting a reply from them. Which is not usually an issue until the query becomes urgent.

The tutors and assessors were amazing at providing support throughout the course of my apprenticeship - they were always available and ready to answer questions that I had about my assignments with a positive attitude.

The same support if not more were provided by CGI - they always make sure that all the apprentices in the UK are aware of the resources, freely available to them. I'm currently working my way toward my Oracle Certifications for PL/SQL and CGI has provided all the reading materials needed as well as training/exam fees which has been amazing.

After completing the course, my salary was at a manageable level to meet all my costs and have some left over to continue my own personal savings.

Yes, CGI has a Sport and Social club that are organised by members and partially paid for by CGI. This has been an amazing opportunity to get to know the people I work with to a greater level.

Yes

Because CGI has been the perfect place to take my apprenticeship and has provided all the training resource I could need to begin my career after leaving college.

Relax - some apprentices I have seen at CGI are trying to organise their life story days after joining the company. It might be a stressful time but focus on what you would like to do and start building your career from there.