HR Operations Apprentice Review

HR Operations apprentice - in my current rotation I work on the HR Helpline where I am an advisor to any queries that managers may have. My daily tasks are answering the phones and providing HR guidance to managers, I also provide guidance via email too. I interact with my team on a daily basis we are very close and work together to ensure we provide consistent advice.

I am working on my level 5 CIPD qualification throughout this apprenticeship. There is a lot of training provided by Santander and there are endless development opportunities internally. My professional skills have definitely improved as I have matured into the workplace environment after joining the program. I have also developed personal skills massively, including: self-confidence, communication, courage, public speaking and many more.

I enjoy working for the company, it can be full on but you get used to the demands of the day to day role. It has met my expectations and I am happy here.

I feel valued in my team as a new member I am looked after and given all the support I need, across the function everyone treats me like a full-time colleague rather than just an apprentice. The team are also very quick to praise where I have worked well, but will also mention how I can improve. I have led on a few projects and even had senior managers reporting into me, I have also had regular contact with the HR leadership team.

Within Santander there is a good structure and the transition between my first placement to my second was relatively easy. There is uncertainty about our future as the programme has developed and I have gained an interest in areas that I was previously unaware of which has opened up further placement opportunities. The education side is good as I am allowed every Friday to work on my studies, however the company handling the education is rather poor and there have been a lot of hiccups with timings and assignments.

There has been a lack of support up until recently when a new tutor took over, contact is extremely rare and it feels like we are doing all the study by ourselves with no real guidance. Currently I have only been in contact with the tutor once in the 8 months I have been here.

A lot of support is given, I have weekly catch ups with my manager who offers me any help and guidance I may need.

The salary is good, however I was expecting more pay progression than what is offered.

There aren't too many opportunities outside of work and I have not yet represented the company externally. There is a yearly Christmas conference which was great, apart from that not much more happens.

Yes

They are a great company to work for and can offer good careers with opportunities.

Be yourself and show what you are capable of. Ensure you have an idea of the role and why you want to work here. Be ready for a completely new experience of being in a workplace. Don't expect too much of yourself in the first few months as settling in can be strange.