ICT Degree Apprentice Review

A normal day will change depending on which team you are currently working with at the time. The expected day would be for your team leader to talk you through your tasks for the day and or plans for the week. From here you would work through the tasks provided whilst having help and guidance wherever suited. I have been responsible for delivering presentations and setting up meetings with other parts of the business to show them what tasks we have been working on.

I have learned an array of new skills I never thought I would learn. This includes things such as learning how to use programs such as ArcGIS which is a mapping program, FlexSim which is a 3-d simulation program as well as begin to learn how to code in Python and SQL. I have also learned how to create a local network from scratch. I have developed my skills using the Microsoft Suite as well as becoming a more confident speaker and person from undertaking the day-to-day work.

I enjoy the programme in the way it is structured to train us in a large variety of ways before we are released into our full-time teams as it lets us really get scope for what the business does as well as gaining useful contacts for future. I enjoy the way that the university course links in to the work itself in certain subjects such as program management and plant-based learning.

This is the first time that this course has ever been run so there have been some areas for improvement but the overall structure has been well thought out and we knew from the first week what we were due to do for full 5 year course. With our feedback they have improved areas of the course in places that we have suggested and they have had good communications in regards to what changes they have made.

We receive all the support we would ever need from our employer. They have provided us with contact with unions for us to join. The company itself has a help hotline for any situations where you feel like you need to talk to someone which is good to know. We also receive any help we would ever need for our university course in the event we are struggling whether it be by providing us mentorship or allowing us to leave work early to seek assistance from the university course provider themselves. There has not been a situation where I have been left without support from the company.

The training provider has tutors which offer help outside of your university day if you may need it by running revision sessions weekly whilst also providing their e-mails for the event you have a question whilst at work from them. I have had all the support I have ever asked for from the provider itself.

As of now we are not carrying out a full time role as our apprenticeship provider is putting us through 8 courses each between 8-10 weeks between different areas of the business to widen our skills and knowledge of the business itself. At the end of these courses we will go back to one of these teams fulltime for the rest of our apprenticeship. This means that I am unable to answer whether the qualification will provide help to my full time role.

Throughout our apprenticeship we have not been provided with any extra-curricular activities although the apprentices ourselves has had social events outside of work time as well as Christmas parties with the teams we were with at the time. There is an apprentice council which has monthly meetings to talk about issues apprentices are facing with the apprenticeship organisers.

Yes

The apprenticeship provides a good qualification as well as providing you with a lot of skills which are adaptable to anywhere you go. They provide good salaries for apprentices and have yearly pay rises. My peers and bosses are people I enjoy working with. The apprenticeship gets you around the business and you get to see a variety of teams before you join one resulting in your going into a job role which will suit you best.

When applying to Sellafield Ltd you should take your time to learn the history of the site itself as a big part of Sellafields business is decommissioning legacy assets. Knowing the history of the site will give you an understanding of the importance of the work done by the company.