Project Support Officer Apprentice Review

My role is about ensuring projects within my organisation are ran efficiently and correctly, both according to our company standards and the wider industry standards. This includes working with project managers to ensure their project reporting is accurate and of a high quality, as well as facilitating and supporting any changes that may need to be made. Typical tasks include recording project updates, providing relevant documents and supporting governance overall for the projects which I work in. As well as my day to day role as a Project Support Officer Apprentice, I am also a part of our Communications Committee which delivers a monthly newsletter, as well as a range of social events for our team throughout the year. I also have the opportunity to speak to young people about the opportunities that apprenticeships bring, as well as helping with workshops to support students in professional development.

I feel as if I have learnt and developed skills, both professionally and personally. Through my apprenticeship so far, I have learnt about the fundamentals of project management through my apprenticeship course, which incudes understanding project methodology, planning budgets and understanding scope of a project, which I had no previous experience in. I have also developed personal skills through the support and workshops I have attended through my employer, which has significantly helped both my confidence in myself, as well as confidence in leading a team - a key part of being a project manager, and a successful colleague. I have learnt so much already and have so much more to learn for the rest of my apprenticeship which I greatly look forward to.

I enjoy my programme as it is both fulfilling and rewarding. My apprenticeship is fulfilling through the learning, networking and development I have felt through my work, as well as rewarding through the experience and friends I have made along the way. The respect I have felt as an apprentice through my colleagues and fellow apprentices have equally been rewarding to me in my role, and feeling heard and important in my team.

I felt at ease of the structure of my programme from the start of my induction onto my programme, where my cohort completed a two day induction on what our programmes would respectably overall would work, and I was introduced to both my course coach and my assignment manager shortly after. They welcomed any questions I had around the structure of my course and the content. I feel very confident with the layout of my course and the expectations both myself and the programme managers have for me.

I receive lots of support from my employer, with my line manager and assignment manager on hand as they were keen to develop rapport early on, making me feel welcome and comfortable in the team. I also receive support, both professionally and personally, through my apprenticeship cohort and our cohort manager, who has regular meetings with us to catch up, deliver key information for noting, and always encourages us to reach out with queries. I also feel supported by my course provider, who have regular meetings with myself and my assignment manager to ensure I am on track with my course and that the work I am doing is aligned to my course. Above all, the individuals described have been friendly, approachable and made me feel comfortable in reaching out with queries, which will happen as an apprentice!

My training provider gives me a coach to support my individual queries and support throughout the course and on my exams, as well as a tutor who delivers webinars that are interactive and personal, and a programme leader who I can reach out to for support with queries on the training overall. All three individuals have made an effort to be approachable, friendly and supportive throughout my course so far, and have encouraged the fellow students to make a support group. We now have a group chat where we can support each other through revision.

As my course is on project management, this directly links to the work I do in my work as a Project Support Officer, understanding how to be a successful PSO as well as understanding strong project management methodologies that support my wider work within my team, and to learn to hopefully one day become a project manager in the future.

There are a variety of extra-curricular activities that I am both involved with now, and hope to get involved in the near future once some of my commitments have been completed. There is a range of activities I get involved with, both related to apprenticeships, helping to deliver workshops and meeting students on future development, as well as more social events such as team meals, organising townhalls for our teams and being involved with our team newsletter. There are activities I would like to get involved with in the future once I have capacity, such as our running group and our learning and development teams which endeavour to bring more learning and skills to colleagues.

Yes

M&G has been a supportive, rewarding and enjoyable place to work, feeling respected as an apprentice and I have learnt so much already about a role I feel passionate about. I would encourage anyone to apply for an apprenticeship role at M&G in the field they feel passionate about and want to learn about, as you will be able to complete renowned industry qualifications, work for an exciting organisation and meet intelligent and professional people.

I would encourage those applying to M&G to do their research, understand what the company does and their purpose - as this will help you in the interview stages. Make sure you put your best foot forward, as M&G is a great place to work, it is competitive. And finally, spread your wings and go for it, I have thoroughly enjoyed my apprenticeship so far, and feel as if I may have not had the same experiences and learning at university as I have through my apprenticeship.