Finance Apprentice Review

My day-to-day role involves collating and analysing financial data from a variety of sources. This involves refreshing data, setting up spreadsheets and using formulas in spreadsheets to make complex calculations. In my job I also take data and put it into a more easily understandable format, usually through the use of pivot tables in excel.

Before I started in my role I had a very limited knowledge of excel, I now use it everyday in my job and have become much more proficient at using it. By this I mean that I am much more competent at using formulas and other tools to get the results I want from data I am presented with.

I enjoy the program quite a lot. I have found that being in a work environment with great colleagues is far more enjoyable than I would have previously imagined. However, due to COVID I have been working from home for over a year which has made the experience less enjoyable, this is of course not through any fault of HPE.

I found that for the first few months of my program there wasn’t much structure and I struggled with not having enough work to do, however my manager was very receptive to my comments and was able to get me doing a more comfortable amount of work and therefore provided me with better structure. Other parts of the apprenticeship such as career talks have been well structured too.

I would say that I receive a lot of support from my employer, not just in terms of benefits that I’m entitled to from the company (eg free headspace subscription) but also from my manager and colleagues who are always very eager to help if I’m struggling with my work.

My training provider supports me in a number of ways, the most significant is that I am assigned a ‘skills coach’ who is responsible for me meeting the requirements to get my qualification. However I have had several different skills coaches due to a high level of turnover with their company which I feel limited the amount of support I received.

I feel that my qualification has assisted me in my everyday work as it has given me a better base knowledge of accountancy as a whole. This increased level of knowledge has allowed me to learn faster within my job role as I go into learning experiences with a certain level of prior knowledge.

Prior to COVID there were many opportunities to get involved in different events. There were almost always sports and social events to attend or get involved with planning and running. Since COVID there have been a number of virtual events, one that I was involved in for example was speaking to some year 10s about my experience in work.

Yes

I believe that HPE is a great place to work. Not only have I made a lot of connections and gained a lot of experience compared to others my age, but I have also almost completed the first level of my accountancy qualification and plan to do the next level which the company may pay for.

I would advise them that teamwork is very important at HPE and that the company will always treat you in the right way and support you if you need support (from what I’ve heard of others experiences.) I would also say that there is a lot to be learned and that the company has a culture of pushing for constant self growth and learning.