Software Apprentice Review

Our roles vary over the course of the apprenticeship. Over the course of the apprenticeship, we rotate between different teams every 6-9 months. The aim of this is to give us a wide perspective of what goes on in our area. I'm currently on my first rotation in Quality Assurance, I have been performing software testing and learning about the different stages of the software testing lifecycle, getting involved where I can.

I feel that my skill set has developed since starting the apprenticeship. BT encourages all of its employees to do the "Da Vinci 30 day challenge" which aims to teach you about human centred design and how you can use it in new and existing projects. I feel like my communication and teamwork skills have also improved greatly.

I can safely say that I've enjoyed everything about the apprenticeship so far, and I expect to in the future. The level of enjoyment might vary depending on what role/rotation you are currently in as different people have different interests. We get plenty of opportunities to do fun activities like volunteering.

From the start of the apprenticeship it is made clear to us how the apprenticeship is going to work. We follow 6-9 month rotations over the majority of the course of the apprenticeship and eventually assimilate into a team by the end of it. This is all whilst completing the university course. The only issues are that it can sometimes be difficult to know where you will next rotate to.

I feel that we are well supported in our roles. The level of work we have is checked in regular 2:1 meetings with your managers, so you can say if you feel you have too much/too little work. We are pushed to do the best we can and are given lots of opportunities to do things that you might not have done before.

The university staff are always available via email if we need support and all resources are available online. If we have trouble understanding a particular concept that was covered during a lecture, we can ask the lecturer and they will be able to offer some additional explanation to help our understanding.

It's hard to say at this early stage, but we can already see some parts of the university course that tie into what we do in our day jobs. For example, if you are in a software development rotation, the content you study in the software development module of the course will be more applicable to your work.

We get plenty of opportunities to do volunteering. We are encouraged to do at least 3 days a year (but don't be surprised if you end up doing significantly more!) of volunteering, ranging from activities in the community to school events. There are also plenty of sports facilities where I'm located and have sporting events several times a year.

Yes

I feel that I have developed greatly as a person here in my short time so far, both technically and socially. The course offers some great opportunities to develop yourself and is perfect if you are technically minded and have a great interest in all things technology. There are other apprenticeships available in less tech-focused areas too.

When going through the application process, make it clear what is inspiring you to join (e.g. maybe you have a great interest in technology, software development, etc.). It always helps to be yourself but be mindful of the questions you are being asked. It can't hurt to prepare answers to some potential questions in advance!