Business Technician Review

I do 3 to 6 month long placements in different areas of the business during the three year programme to get an overview of the organisation. On a daily basis i am normally office based and attent a variety of meetings to support the current projects that i am working on.

Since starting my apprenticeship i hae drastically increased my confidence and other soft skills, this is due to the rotational placements meaning i have a strong background of knowledge of the different areas of the business. Alongside this i have been taking lessons in german which has helped with my communication skills

The programme itself is enjoyable, i enjoy getting a overview of different areas of ths business. However, it does seem unorganised and things are without planning. The training side of the programme is very repettitive with all assignments being based along the same lines, despite this the content learned in lectures is interesting.

I feel as if the programme lacks organisation but i am fortuante that i have a mentor who is helpful and helps solves these issues. The transition between placements is not as smooth as it could be and it sometimes feels like there is a lack of communication between the apprenticeship team and the placement managers

I have bi-weekly 1:1s with my manager and alongside this i also have been involved in a mentoring programme with an ex-apprentice, both of these people give me lots of support and advice. I do feel as if there is a gap in the feedback loop from placement managers to the apprenticeship team as i dont recieve feedback as often as i would like to

The majority of our training and qualification is assignment based, the training provider allows one draft of each assignment to be submitted and reviewed per assignment. This is good to help develop grades. Alongside this all of the lectures are very approachable and always seem willing to help and support with assignments.

my qualification is in business management, therefore it is not directly relevent to my placements, however it has been beneficial in setting out a strong understanding of the business landscape and has enabled me to see why the organisation makes some of the decisions that it does. The qualification has helped change the way i am thinking when it comes to some business issues and has given me the mindset where i am able to view the bigger picture

The department i work within regually does socials, from bowling to treasure hunts round the city. Alongside this there are many charity events hosted by the organisation which people are able to get involved with. There is an onsite gym which offers a wide variety of classes, i have found attended these classes has helped with my networking around plant

Yes

I am enjoying the apprenticeship programme and it is evident throughout my placements that apprentices are respectied within the workplace. There are lots of career opportunities available once the apprenticeship has finished which the rotational placements give you a good starting point for development to. It is interesting seeing how the company is developing and adapting to changes in technologies and the market

Be confident in your interview, don't just tell them what you think that they want to hear. Tell them about your achievements no matter how unrelated they seem to the position that you are applying for. As an apprentice they are hiring you as a person rather than for a specific job role, therefore you need to show potential for development and willingness to achieve and learn.