General Management Degree Apprentice Review
at Transport for London
Degree Apprenticeship
Business Operations
London
Review Submitted: May 2021
Overall Rating
4.6 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
3.5/5
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Overview of Role
5/5
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Skills Development
4.8/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
During my first placement I worked entirely from home due to Covid, it was in Network Sponsorship. This role essentially managed different projects in different boroughs of London. I would log in around 9am and catch up on emails from the day before. Afterwards I would have a weekly catch up with my manager where they would tell me what work I have to do today, it was varied work. Sometimes I would have to write up public documents on projects we were doing in specific borough assessing the impact on the community, other times I would be making presentations or updating excel spreadsheets
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
3/5
I enjoyed the programme because it was a big change from what I was used to in school. The new professional environment was exciting and people were friendly. However, working from home meant I couldn’t meet anyone and I didn’t feel like I really integrated in the team
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
As this was my first placement, it really helped me learn & understand behaviour in a professional environment, especially coming straight from school. It taught me about email etiquette and what is expected of me at work. This placement specifically also taught me about stakeholders management as we were in constant communications with different boroughs & external stakeholders to discuss our plans.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
5/5
The apprenticeship scheme as a whole is really well structured. Every 6 months we’re moved into different areas of TfL to get an understanding of all departments, including both office work and operational work. In the last 2 years of the apprenticeship scheme this becomes more relaxed and you have more control over what type of placements you want to do and for how long.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
In my experience, my employer has provided a lot of support. We received desk equipment from TfL to make sure we are comfortable working from home, including a desk chair, laptop, keyboards, headphones etc. This made me feel really valued as an employee. In meetings mental health and regular breaks are also really encouraged, so I feel very supported
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
5/5
We receive a lot of support from Pearson College London. Our lecturers are always available for questions before our seminars and student services are also quick to reply to an issues. A weekly Q&A session is held on Friday by our mentor to clear up any confusion or answer any questions about our degree and how it works. We also fill out a time sheet to make sure that as apprentices at least 20% of our time goes towards our qualification & studying.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
I think the theory we learn in our degree is really applicable to the day to day work we do. For example, learning about financial statements by our learning provider made it easier to understand the budgeting in our company and helps to spot any issues or areas for improvement
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
5/5
Our company has it’s own form of social media which is a lot more relaxed than regular emails. This gives people the chance to post and engage in more casual topics. TfL also holds a coffee roulette arounds different departments where you’re paired with a random employee to have ‘have coffee’ together and meet to encourage more networking. The Graduate and Apprentice community also has many virtual site visits.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Transport for London to a friend?
Yes
Why?
In my experience, TfL is a great place to work because the organisation really cares about their employees. You’re encouraged to speak about any issue and the help needed is always given. For the General Management Scheme in particular, it’s really beneficial that you get to move around different areas of TFL before deciding where exactly you want to go.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Transport for London?
My best advice would be to adapt your CV to match TfL’s values and policies, which are found online. I would also advise to really revise the information packs given before the interview so you are familiar with the organisation and their goals so you appear eager and interested to learn in the interview
