Engineer Review

My role as a security engineer involves managing and maintaining our systems to ensure they are scanning traffic correctly. A day to day role is liaising with customers to assist with any access issues they have or completing project work for new systems that need to be installed or upgrades that need to be completed.

I have learnt many technical and non-technical skills. As an apprentice, there is a lot of on the job training that you pick up as you work. To push yourself, you need to take initiative and organise shadowing opportunities or meetings to understand what other divisions or systems do. Non-technical knowledge can be liaising with stakeholders, clear communication and just getting to grips with office life.

Having a degree paid for and also attending a reputable university is an excellent opportunity. The 20% allowance to study is a lifesaver. I can see how the degree is structured for a work environment as our modules are based on work, for example project management. It would be useful to include some more academic aspects into the degree, at least as an extra option, so that it is not always so work oriented.

The Digital and Technology solutions degree has interesting elements, especially in later years when students can specialise, however some modules need to be improved as the coursework standards and assessments were unclear or did not match the level of complexity in the teaching. The Reflective Practice elements of the degree need more teaching guidance and clearer feedback, and the employer evaluation form was again, very confusing to complete with 'expert' being a subjective category (I understand this has been updated now).

An apprentice usually structures their studying time as much as possible. Support from the employer comes from the 20% allocated study time that the aprentice is given which is approximately 1 day a week. Employer evaluation forms is where the employer reviews your work over the course of that year, which contributes to your degree score. The employer becomes more involved in year 4 with the synoptic project.

Support is given per module by the lecturer so this varies depending on each person. Usually, lecturers are very good at responding to emails quickly, and some have done so many times even on the weekends which is noteworthy. The administration team for the DTS program until recently have been difficult to contact regarding appreticeship oystercards and other small admin details. There could have been more direct contact with the DTS team during the Covid-19 outbreak regarding safety net scores and online exam structures.

As mentioned, the DTS degree is created by employers so is very much oriented for the working world. We do less academic theory and focu more on practical modules, for example project management, software engineers and cyber security. Our courseworks are usually to consult and review case studies and provide recomendations, which is what a specialist would do in their normal daily roles.

The Bank of England has quite a few different social groups that people can get involved with such as religious societies, parents network and disability network. You can opt in to get involved if you wish. One of the great things about the Bank is the number of external speakers who come and present or speak at our workplace, from other universities or companies. Networking events come in the form of external speakers, quizz nights or charity events, which the Bank is also quite involed with.

Yes

For apprentices in particular, it is a nice place to work in with lots of learning opportunities and programs. There are a lot of departments and teams to shadow which really gives you a breadth of knowledge. Sponsoring degree apprenticships and flexible working are also very useful. Career progression and salary increases however are limited and will not get you very far, same with bonuses.

Research the Bank and understand what it does regarding interest rates, monitoring private organisations (through the PRA), printing Banknotes etc. For younger students, grades are not as important as being confident are showing an interest in the department you are applying for at the bank. In interviews, be honest and confident, and don't be afraid to say you don't understand a question or don't know something. Just show that you are willing to learn and put the effort in.