Content Coordinator Graduate Review
at Newcastle Building Society
Higher Level Apprenticeship
Finance
Wallsend
Review Submitted: February 2022
Overall Rating
4.1 /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!
4/5
-
Overview of Role
4/5
-
Skills Development
4/5
-
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
I work within the Community team in my department. As part of my role, I support our colleague volunteering programme, colleague fundraising activities e.g. timetabling organisation-wide fundraising activities, supporting individual colleagues choosing to volunteer for our community fund, and working with the Community Manager on our grant giving programme
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
I am enjoying my apprenticeship programme very much. It's a completely different element of community than I am used to for my day-to-day role. Therefore, I am learning a variety of new things, some that I can take away and apply straight away to my usual role, and some that I can apply to the project I am working on for my apprenticeship
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
Due to how varied the activities are within my role, one skill that I am developing is my time management. I often have to switch between different activities, so it is important that I have a clear idea of what tasks and objectives I need to achieve and by when. My manager has been great at supporting me developing this skill e.g. how to negotiate deadlines with my stakeholders and prioritising my workload, as this is a skill I didn't often have to utilise much in the past as my workload used to be lighter or have a singular focus
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
3/5
I like that I there is clear structure to my apprenticeship programme so that I know exactly where and when I will be doing my 20% off the job training. Every Friday, during Sunderland University's semester time, I have dedicated contact time with my tutor and peers where we go over the programme material and the outcomes. I know what is expected of me weekly and what I need to present for my end-point assessment,
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
I have a great support network within the organisation when it comes to my development and the apprenticeship programme. One of my concerns originally was 'who will I be able to shadow or sit with to fill in the gaps of my knowledge' when it came to the apprenticeship, and my Head of Department was able to support me to resolve this. I now am supporting another team once a week to fill in gaps in my knowledge when it comes to my apprenticeship, as the work that they do directly relates to my apprenticeship.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
I think the support my training provider is relevant to a certain degree. They helped set the foundation of what I am expected to know; but as it is an apprenticeship, they can only give me the tools I need to help find a relevant project within my organisation, to work on to build up my evidence portfolio for my end-point assessment
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
One of the modules that was part of my apprenticeship was all about communication and this really helped not only the work I was doing for my programme but also my day-to-day role. I was able to come back into my team and apply the things that I had learnt, e.g. when crafting colleague communications.
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
There are a variety of extracurricular activities to get involved with at my work. There is a Health and Wellbeing team, who although I am not a part of, plan a variety of activities and initiatives that colleagues can get involved with. I particularly like when they organise fitness and exercise related activities as these are things I enjoy and like to part in.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Newcastle Building Society to a friend?
Yes
Why?
I've been with Newcastle Building Society since my placement year at university and the support I've received has been fantastic. Rather than just bringing me in and leaving me to get in with my role, as part of their Early Talent programme, I've been involved with bsuiness project in my first year, that involved working with my peers and a variety of colleagues who I normally wouldn't have. Then, rather than leave me to get on with my role, once I re-joined them after graduation, ahead of my return, my Head of Department met with me several times so we could plan my return and my development - which ultimately led me to beginning my apprenticeship when I came back.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Newcastle Building Society?
If in doubt, speak up and ask questions. The people are around you will always be willing to help out and clarify anything you might not fully understand. I'd also recommend that you develop your time management and prioritisation skills - this can help you effectively manage your tasks. If this is something you struggle with, then ask your support network on how they manage this and see which tips and tricks suit your working style.
