Cyber Security Full Degree Apprentice Review

On a day to day basis my role includes researching the latest industry threats faced by organisations and then compiling the latest available data on them and disseminating them to our internal and external customers. I also lead on a customer and ensure they receive bespoke Intelligence reporting. I also engage in regular meetings on helping the business improve and provide better services.

Since working at BT I have been able to develop my knowledge of networks by undertaking industry recognised qualifications and having chance to monitor our network data. On top of this I have learned more in-depth query writing skills in order to effectively search and present network data to help tell a story.

I thoroughly enjoy my programme. Although there is a big commitment because I am studying and working. This means that I need to be able to balance my time. It has also given me a great foundation and springboard to my career within the industry and has enabled me to work with a vast amount of different people.

My programme is pretty well structured. At points there has been a few points of confusion however, the team at BT has worked really hard to make sure we have a good experience. Linking the practical elements of the apprentice portfolio and the everyday workload can sometimes be challenging because the practical portfolio is very specific.

My employer whole-heartedly supports me on my journey to become fully qualified in my role. They have made sure I have all the time I need to succeed at my education as well as given me extra opportunities to grow my knowledge and abilities to give me a future at the organisation which can see me go as far as I want to.

It has been a bumpy experience with my training provider. I have found it hard sometimes to get consistency from different lecturers and there are always different expectations too. I would say though that one on one the team is great! You just need to go out of your way to ask for it else it is assumed all is okay.

Overall, my qualification will give me a solid start in each of the topic I cover on my programme. On top of this, it gives me a BSc honour degree to be able to build on in my future. However, I think the work I do in the workplace out paces the learning I undertake at the training provider so it maybe doesn’t always help me perform better in my role.

In BT there are a good amount of networking events within the business such as regular office nights out and the ability to set up sports teams with your colleagues. There is also many professional networking events hosted with different divisions and with our external partners to help everyone advance their careers

Yes

I would recommend BT as a place to work as it gives individuals a real chance to grow and learn in a large FTSE 100 organisation. Further more, it gives you experiences you wouldn’t find in a smaller company as BT has big budgets to explore new technology and is open to changing to new ways of doing things to. However, be prepared to push for your own progress as BT is so big individual careers can stall if you let it.

For anyone wanting to apply to BT, I would suggest learning about what is changing here. We are currently transforming and moving towards being fit for the future so are getting involved in new verticals. Along with this be yourself as your background and experiences make you who you are and BT values different perspectives as it helps us stay ahead