Digital and Technology Solutions Specialist Review

- Agile meetings; hosting and participating in scrum meetings - At times assisting senior members with global projects (internal and external) - Both individual responsibilities and group projects both on a regional and global scale - Regular catch up sessions and introductory opportunities with senior members, managers and / or domain leads across different departments

Communication skills: vastly improved since joining the bank. surrounding yourself with articulate individuals all in the corporate world really forces and individual to improve their dialect and the manner in which they speak. Organisational skills: there are many tools available in which to organise your day to day activities. but working in such an occasionally fast paced environment encourages the need for better organisation skills

- Real world working experience - Supportive team members in both my working and academic pathways - The ability to learn both new technical and soft skills - The opportunity to meet people from all backgrounds, experiences, departments to learn and grow your network. - The chance to work in different departments to grow your skills across board and find where you are most fitted

My academic path is very well structured. A lot more interactive and interpersonal when compared to the traditional academic pathways. not to mention the wide range of support resources supplied by the training provider. The working aspect was a little lacking as it still a fairly new pathway to the organisation, but the diligence and inclusivity of the staff makes up for this drawback

To sum up... A LOT. The employer understand the the importance of focusing on academic studies and prioritises academic work before on the job work: ensuring apprentices get their 20% off the job study time and at times any additional study time or 1-to-1's where needed. Managers can be considered extremely flexible

PLENTY... - wide range of support systems, libraries and other resources: ACE team: QA support team to ensure the best structure and productivity in assignments VLE books: large digital library with readings which directly relate to the modules being studied Office Hours: after lecture/workshop hours hosted by the lecturer for additional help, clarifications on any enquiries students may have.

The qualification tends to directly correlate with my responsibilities at work. For instance during the technical modules where I will be developing my programming ability and understanding I might also be part of a developer team or have technical responsibility in a group project. Therefore I will not only be learning but have the opportunity to apply what I learn in a working scenario.

there are a few networking events and organised lunches occasionally hosted for both apprentices and general members of staff. NatWest also office scheduled evens and workshops to help improve staff members soft skills, technical ability and CPC's (critical people capabilities). These can also be used as networking events. The only drawback is due to the current climate and health precautions a lot of the events organised are digital which can take away from the connecting aspect

Yes

Inclusivity: NatWest prides itself on inclusivity and how to be more accommodating to new starters, existing staff from different cultures and socio demographics Opportunities: the opportunity to work with so many different individuals across departments, domains and even subsidiaries in the umbrella that is NWG is almost unobtainable. Networking availability: connecting with the vast number of employees across so many different backgrounds can be nothing but beneficial Natwest focuses: Natwest believe in champion potential and the employees as well as how projects are conducted is a true show of this

Be yourself and do not try to be somebody your not nor, somebody you think they want. NatWest look for individuality and for unique individuals to provide fresh perspectives and outside the box thinking as opposed to busy bees. Focus on the CPC's and structure your answers and skillset around this criteria.