Rating

7.8/10
  • 1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
  • My role is very varied, and involves supporting senior managers and other colleagues with projects and new initiatives within the division and the broader University environment. It is very reactive in it's nature and has enabled me to gain knowledge and experience of different areas of the University through involvement in a diverse range of projects.

    8/10

  • 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
  • I have gained new knowledge relating to financial management and reporting, something which I've never really had any involvement with in my role so far. Learning new concepts and theories such as zero-based budgeting and top-down budgeting has equipped me with a better understanding of my own organisation's practices.

    8/10

  • 3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
  • I am enjoying most of my programme so far, in particular I'm enjoying learning things that are completely new to me, perhaps because it's easier for me to measure my development in these areas. Although the apprenticeship has been conducted entirely online so far, I have enjoyed meeting my classmates virtually during webinars and think that some long-term networks have been formed.

    8/10

  • 4. How well organised/structured is your programme?
  • My programme is well organised in so much as knowing dates for the mandatory 'on campus' days for the whole year at the start of the year, and knowing which modules would be studied in which semester. Certain elements are less well organised, for example the mandatory study days always fall on the same two days of the week, and always during school half-term holidays, disproportionately affecting any learners with childcare responsibilities. Support from module tutors has been good, with easy to schedule as 1:1s during office hours.

    6/10

  • 5. How much support do you receive from your employer?
  • My employer has been very supportive, providing me with a day per week study leave. My line manager regularly asks how my course is going and we discuss ways in which my learning can be incorporated into my role, and how I can gain the necessary experience to enable me to complete certain assignments.

    9/10

  • 6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
  • I have been assigned a skills coach, with whom I meet once per month. My skills coach helps me to keep on track with the apprenticeship part of my degree, and has provided advice on how to approach assignments that have required me to adopt or trial new practices at work, and evaluate my own performance accordingly.

    8/10

  • 7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
  • So far, the modules I have studied have made me reflect on some of the practices and procedures at my own organisation, and have made me consider certain functions (such as management accounting), which I'd never really known anything about before. This broader understanding has enabled me to appreciate where my own division sits as part of the wider University structure.

    8/10

  • 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 sports teams that I could get involved in, but I have not done this since I don't live that close to my work place, and the additional commute would be impractical. My organisation has a number of professional networking events which I attend during work hours, but I tend not to participate in many social activities outside of work hours at the moment due to having a young family.

    7/10

  • 9a. Would you recommend University of Birmingham to a friend?
  • Yes


  • 9b. Why?
  • The campus is beautiful with so much greenery (which I've really missed during the current WFH environment), and a real sense of space. The University is a very supportive, flexible employer in terms of employee benefits such as generous annual leave, maternity leave and other family-friendly, flexible working policies. Being supported to undertake a degree apprenticeship has been an added bonus.


  • 10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to University of Birmingham?
  • I would suggest visiting campus first to get a good feel of the place. I would also suggest finding the building that you need to visit for your interview well ahead of the scheduled interview start time. I would advise any prospective employee to attend as many professional networking events as possible in their first year in the role, in order to establish friendships and contacts across the University.


Details

Degree Apprenticeship

Business Operations

Birmingham

May 2021


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