Apprentice Review
at NatWest Group
Higher Level Apprenticeship
Information Technology
Edinburgh
Review Submitted: April 2022
Overall Rating
4.8 /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!
5/5
-
Overview of Role
5/5
-
Skills Development
4.4/5
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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:
5/5
My role is a cloud analyst - my team is responsible for managing the entire virtual estate and the hardware it resides on. Daily this comprises of the creation and management of virtual machines as well as the hosts and clusters the VMs reside on and in.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
5/5
The programme has been great - a mixture of (mostly) on the job work with some courses provided by QA interspersed. The mostly hands-on work in the day-to-day job really makes you feel both valuable and as if you're progressing.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
I started off with zero experience in this sort of work and through the team I was placed on was able to shadow lots of different work to build my skillset. I now have a fairly good understanding and have learnt many new skills.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
3/5
The program could use a little more structure. From the QA side, the first year's apprenticeship was very short and easy whilst I was placed on a slightly less relevant course for the second year accidentally.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
My employer provides full support in both my professional and personal development needs. Development is encouraged and discussed at frequent one-to-one meetings with management and plans are often put in place to ensure a continued, supported development within work.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
4/5
QA provides adequate support throughout the year however the courses are all rather short. The different tutors that are provided for each course are extremely helpful and ensure nobody is left behind and the assessor you are paired with throughout the year ensures that you are comfortable with other units.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
5/5
For the first year the qualifications I was working towards were applicable in a general sense to the work I do, being that they were IT/networking based. Unfortunately due to an error I was placed in the wrong course for 2nd year but it is still helpful in parts.
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 number of events put on throughout the year by both the apprenticeship team for professional networking but also by the wider bank to assist in professional and personal development as well as further business networking.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend NatWest Group to a friend?
Yes
Why?
As an apprentice the wage I receive is extremely fair and the support given is amazing. I haven't worked at another place which has given the same sense of community or worth as here.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to NatWest Group?
For the application process, be as calm as possible and focus on what value you bring and what capabilities you have. Once you have a foot in the door, take up all the opportunities you can to be involved. Career progression is about more than just technical ability.
