Rating

7.4/10
  • 1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
  • Large range of different network engineering jobs and administration tasks. Introducing network connected end devices and infrastructure into monitoring. Writing configuration files for network devices to be installed. Assisting onsite engineers during installation of network infrastructure. Applying configuration overlays to bring a companies devices into management under BT. Ongoing professional training.

    8/10

  • 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
  • I have learnt all the basics of network engineering from scratch. This has also involved gaining my Cisco Certified Network Associate professional accreditation. I am also in the process of gaining my Cisco certification for Cyber Operations. I've gained a better understanding of many different software suites, especially those used in my day to day job such as for monitoring & SSH connectivity as well as Excel and Access.

    7/10

  • 3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
  • I enjoy it for the oportunity it's given me. I didn't have much scope for getting a worthwhile career and was stuck in hospitality work with little chance of improvement. Some parts such as the BTEC had quite a bit of pointless work and the the Diploma was sometimes more of a box ticking exercise.

    7/10

  • 4. How well organised/structured is your programme?
  • Well structured in places but lacking in other areas. The BTEC and Diploma were structured well even though I found some of the content lacking. Training could be a bit unstructured for the technical side, the technical training was very sporadic though I ended up learning most things from working within my team and slowly taking more responsibilities along with studying for my professional certification.

    7/10

  • 5. How much support do you receive from your employer?
  • I get nearly all the support I need. There's always the time to complete any of the apprenticeship work I need to do & I was given specific tasks that would give me a good subject to write about in my assignments. My manager was good about giving me any time off I needed and to work remotely if there were transport or weather issues.

    9/10

  • 6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
  • When doing my BTEC all the work was completed at site each week we were at college. My tutor would hold extra sessions at the end of the day to help anyone that needed it. They would provide detailed feedback after the week was up on any assignments we had completed and if any further work was needed.

    8/10

  • 7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
  • The qualification wasn't particularly helpful. The most important aspect to my role is networking knowledge, there was a very brief section on current networking which was something fairly simple which I had already covered. There was an inordinate amount of time spent on the POTS telephony system which is nearing end of life.

    6/10

  • 8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
  • There are some events offered though it's a bit limited as there are fewer offices up in Scotland. I couldn't really take part in much as I had my first child not long after starting. My team and the wider team does have occasional get togethers, where the wider teams all visit up and go out.

    7/10

  • 9a. Would you recommend BT to a friend?
  • Yes


  • 9b. Why?
  • Great opportunity to get a career with professional qualifications. Good pay, apprenticeship pay goes up quickly each year. They can be flexible with remote working depending on the team you are on. Some good benefits such as heavily discounted internet and tv services. Reasonable working hours and easy to take annual leave.


  • 10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to BT?
  • Show a willingness to learn. Don't think that you're too old to start an apprenticeship, I though I'd be the oldest by far in the interview but I wasn't by a long shot. Look at an area you would be interested in, but realise that there's always a chance to pivot in your career after your apprenticeship has finished, there's so many different roles you can have at the company.


Details

Level 3 Apprenticeship

Information Technology

Glasgow

February 2020


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