Software Engineer Review

I work in Service Management within Accenture. This consists of mostly Incident and Problem management, however I will also be being trained up on Change Management if I stay in this role for long enough. We are a Shared Service, meaning we cater for many different clients and this means I get a good overview of the company.

Yes, I have learned basic skills of Incident and Problem management. This is when a User of our Client's system gets in touch and logs either an Incident or a Problem and we help direct it to the correct internal department. It has helped me develop communication skills, both written and spoken.

I thoroughly enjoy the programme as a whole. For someone my age, I feel like there is no better place to be. The combination of on the job experience and a good education is rare. My team in work are all easy to talk to and willing to help and it exceeds my initial expectations.

The induction/training period was very well structured. Branded as 'Boot camp', this is an 8 week training course consisting of many different introductions to skills that we will require throughout or apprenticeship, such as programming and communication skills. I attend University every Friday, so that is well structured and I have 1 to 1's with a career counselor regularly.

My manager is very supportive and is understanding of the stress that can come from managing work and studying. My career counselor is very good and gives good advice on any issues I have. There is never a time when there's nobody I can contact about an issue or someone I can't ask a question.

Generally the support from the University is okay. I understand that it is a lot of independent learning when studying at University, therefore I am accepting that there won't be a lot of support. If I require support though I would feel confident of them being helpful and open to giving advice/feedback.

For me, there is not a massive amount of work I do at University which helps me in work, however that is purely because of my specific role. If I did a programming role or worked in Cyber Security, it would be very helpful as we do a lot of that at University.

Yes, lots. This is one of my favourite things about the company. There are weekly newsletter detailing social activities, sports events and comms events. Apprentices are invited to pretty much all events within the company and aren't treat any different to more senior employees. This surprised me, but it is definitely a perk of the job.

Yes

If you don't want to go to University, this is the perfect alternative. I was always skeptical about University and would much rather have the combination of on the job learning and proper education. The wage is good for the age and perks of the job are great, along with flexibility of working hours.

Take your time with the application, you only get one try. If you don't get in the first year, try again the next (I did, and got it the 2nd time). Assessment days are tough, but if you contribute and be yourself they can be enjoyable too. Just prepare well and don't worry too much.