Technology Degree Apprentice Review

On an average day I am studying Computer Science at the University of Birmimgham. During 3 of the 4 years this is the case. The course also includes a year in industry where you work as in a Technology role at PwC, there are loads of great teams to choose from.

Many, both while studying at university and on the job during placements. While at University we have had the chance to study from a variety of modules which in the end contribute to our degree. On placements, you are treated similar to a graduate joining the firm, with plenty of opportunity for upskilling in the technology used by your team.

Having the flexibility of being a normal university student with the ability to go on nights out, join sports clubs and societies is great. If you didn't tell anyone, nobody would know that you're on a sponsored degree. The benefit of the degree apprenticeship is that you don't need to stress about organizing placements during exam season, as these are organized for you as part of the apprenticeship.

The program is structured fairly well, we have experienced some breakdown in communications but this has generally been resolved. PwC is a large corporation offering many opportunities to new joiners in a variety of teams, but having so many teams can sometimes mean that it takes longer than desired to find somebody with a specific role to get something approved.

I have received all the support I need from PwC while on placement and while at university. We are paired with a career coach at PwC who helps guide our career progression and additionally we are put in contact with a buddy who has been here a little longer to help with any day-to-day or informal problems. At university, PwC is fairly hands-off which gives a good opportunity to focus on studying.

While at university we have a couple of modules each term. There are currently two terms in each year. During each module, we have numerous lectures and tutorials each week to teach us the content. If you have issues with understanding the content there are resources to help such as teaching assistants and office hours from the lecturer.

The learning we gain at university tends to not directly link to the job we do while on placement at PwC, however, it's in the same field as to where we work - computer science - which does have some amount of cross-over. The qualification would be essential if we joined the company as a graduate.

There are some extra-curricular activities to get involved in at my work, but most often you will find us getting involved with clubs and societies through the University of Birmingham Guild of Students (Student Union), where there are over 100 sports and clubs on offer to join, personally I've had opportunity to help run one of these sports clubs which was a great experience.

Yes

A sponsored degree is a no-brainer if you already want to study Computer Science at this university and you are planning to take part in placements during the summers and a year in industry. Coming out of university with no debt and lots of real-world working experience is not an opportunity to discard.

Study up on what PwC does as a business and focus on the values that the firm has. A great interview tip is to create a story about how you have personally demonstrated each value that you are able to share during your interview. These will help to demonstrate you are the kind of person that will fit in well at the firm.